Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2026 to Question 30034 on Bus Services: West Midlands, which (a) programmes and (b) budgets within her Department will be reprioritised to fund the £11.5 million allocated to supporting the West Midlands Combined Authority to take public control of its bus network; how much funding will be reallocated from each; and what estimate she has made of the funding to be provided in each of the three financial years.

Funding will be provided from within existing Department for Transport allocations over a 3-year period. A minimum of £2.5 million per year will be provided in each of 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29, with the remaining £4 million expected to be funded across 2027/28 and 2028/29.

2026/27 funding is being provided from underspends against budgets identified in the Department’s Public Transport and Local Group. Funding sources for future years will depend on where potential efficiencies and savings are identified.