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Transport Secretary kickstarts “bus revolution” as she promises to support local leaders to deliver better buses up and down the country
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh will visit Greater Manchester today [Thursday 11th July] to begin the Government’s bus revolution, as she pledges to support every community to take back control of buses through franchising or public ownership.
- Louise Haigh visits Greater Manchester on her first official visit, with a pledge to support local leaders to deliver better buses
- Under the Government’s plan Local Transport Authorities across the country will be empowered to take back control of buses
- The Transport Secretary will see first-hand how Greater Manchester’s Bee Network, has boosted reliability and passenger numbers
She will meet with the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, to discuss how the area’s Bee Network can be replicated across the country to deliver better services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions.
The Transport Secretary will pledge to create and save vital bus routes up and down the country, calling time on the failed system of deregulation that has seen service levels plummet. The plans will also bring an end to the postcode lottery of bus services by providing safeguards over local networks across the country.
Launched last September as the first bus franchise in England outside London, the integrated Bee Network has delivered for local people by growing passenger numbers and improving the reliability of local bus services. This has already seen passenger numbers grow by 5% in the first area to be franchised, with revenue following suit.
The Transport Secretary will see first-hand how the successes of the Bee Network can be replicated across the country, improving services and handing power back to local people.
The Transport Secretary will also hear directly the challenges faced by Greater Manchester during its franchising journey.
Greater Manchester endured a six-year slog to deliver local control of bus services due to unnecessary barriers. The Government’s plan will remove these barriers so better buses can be delivered faster.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said:
“Buses are the lifeblood of communities, but the system is broken.
“Too often, passengers are left waiting hours for buses that don’t turn up – and some have been cut off altogether.
“Change starts now. This new Government will give local leaders the tools they need to deliver better buses up and down the country.
“Our plan will create and save vital bus routes by giving every community the power to take back control of their bus services through franchising or public ownership.
“We are already seeing how the Bee Network is delivering for people across Greater Manchester – we will ensure every community can enjoy the same benefits.”
The Bee Network is also boosting Manchester's Metrolink. In May, it recorded its busiest month in its 32-year history with 4.1 million passengers using the iconic yellow trams, higher than the previous record of 4 million set before the pandemic in 2019.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:
“Properly integrated public transport is the key to unlocking growth and opportunity across our city-region, improving the lives of our residents, supporting businesses and delivering greater value for money.
“The numbers speak for themselves - our Bee Network has more passengers than ever before and is providing a better service for residents.
"Greater Manchester has shown that our pioneering approach works and we look forward to working with the government to put power back into the hands of local communities.”
The bus plan is part of the new Government’s ambition to develop a long-term, national strategy for transport. This will ensure infrastructure can be delivered efficiently and on time while allowing local people to take back control of their buses, trams and trains.
Graham Vidler, CEO for The Confederation of Passenger Transport said:
“The industry stands fully behind the objectives of growing the nation’s vital bus network and improving passengers’ experiences.
“We look forward to working hand in hand with the government to deliver change which benefits passengers across the whole country and drives swifter progress towards the UK’s climate targets.”
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We will be reading out a statement at 4.30pm today (12 July) as our investigation into missing Claire from Barnsley continues. |
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Efforts to find missing 44-year-old Claire remain ongoing and as part of our ongoing investigation, we will be reading out a statement in Barnsley later today (12 July). Please see our latest appeal here: https://www.southyorkshire. Chief Inspector John Mallows will be making a statement near to where Claire was last seen. Please call the press office on 0114 252 3848 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Please meet at the function of Silkstone Lane and High Street in Barnsley where you will be directed to the location where the statement will be read out. A pin to the meeting location can be found here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ |
Life-saving bleed cabinets amongst new safety measures rolled out across Cleveland
A series of new measures to improve safety and reduce violence, including bleed cabinets, ID scanners and anti-spiking kits have been unveiled.
Cleveland Unit for the Reduction of Violence (CURV), working with local partners and councils have introduced several new interventions to support safety during the day and night-time economy.
Four emergency bleed control cabinets have been installed across Stockton-on-Tees, in an attempt to reduce blood loss sustained through serious injuries, for example, from car accidents, falls, dog bites and knife wounds.
The cabinets each hold several pieces of equipment and instructions on how to control heavy bleeding. The cabinets are accessible 24 hours a day using a code provided by calling the Borough Security Centre number on the front of the unit.
A further eight cabinets are due to be installed in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool.
Four cabinets have already been installed in Redcar and Cleveland locations through previous CURV funding as well as 210 handheld metal detector wands for door staff to be able to detect weapons across all four boroughs.
The programme of work has also introduced Scannet machines – a system that scans someone’s identification and checks if it’s genuine.
Should an incident occur the Scannet system can help identify those involved, providing photographic evidence.
Other interventions include Eemits radios used by venues to alert Stockton-on-Tees’ Security Centre to focus CCTV onto potential incidents and relay images onto the police control room and anti-spiking equipment, including bottle toppers, and foil drink covers.
A total of 25 body worn cameras have also been distributed to staff in licensed premises across Redcar and Cleveland.
The funding has been distributed across the four Boroughs as follows:
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council allocated £20,725.10 to fund:
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4 bleed cabinets installed outside Yarm Town Hall, The Bank in Norton, The Shambles and Ku Bar in Stockton Town Centre.
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1 Scannet machine to be installed at a licensed premise.
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13 Eemits radios to be distributed to licensed premises.
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Anti-spiking resources.
Redcar and Cleveland Council allocated £18,084.00 to fund:
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25 Apex radios to be distributed to licensed premises.
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1 Scannet machine to be installed at a licensed premise.
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25 bodycams for staff at licensed premises.
Middlesbrough Borough Council allocated £12,965.00 to fund:
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4 bleed cabinets plus 4 kits for replenishment to be installed in night-time economy hotspot areas.
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30 Apex radios to be distributed to licensed premises.
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Anti-spiking resources.
Hartlepool Borough Council allocated £14,087.15 to fund:
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4 bleed cabinets to be installed at the Central Hub, Civic Centre Concourse, Station Approach CCTV Camera Column and OrangeBox.
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25 Apex radios to be distributed to licensed premises.
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Anti-spiking resources.
Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey said: "I want residents and visitors to Cleveland's bustling towns to feel safe at all times, so I am very proud of CURV's preventative approach to tackling serious violence.
“These safety measures will support the area's day and night-time economy and will play a part in making our Boroughs safer and even more welcoming places for everyone.”
Councillor Norma Stephenson, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Access, Communities and Community Safety, added: “Having these new measures available in Yarm, Norton and Stockton will improve safety for residents and visitors, providing reassurance for people so that they can fully relax and enjoy all that our town centres can have to offer.”