Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) representations he has received and (b) discussions he has had with the relevant local authority on support or extra funding for people affected by closure of the number 30 bus route in Hemsworth constituency; and what provision his Department makes available for (i) people and (ii) local communities affected by the discontinuance of (A) rural or (B) other local bus fare provision.

I am not aware of any representations or discussions with myself or my Department on the number 30 bus service in Hemsworth.

However, where a commercial bus operator decides to discontinue a particular service, it is open to the local authority to decide to support that service itself and to invite other bus operators to tender to run that service in future. My department devolves over £2 million of funding to West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive each year under the Bus Service Operators Grant system, which can be used by the authority to support bus services, including those which are under threat of closure.

I understand that the West Yorkshire Combined Authority has now decided to support this service itself, and that the number 30 will continue but run by another operator.