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Dept for Transport

Answer

Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial support he has made available for bus services in (a) Leicester and (b) England in each year since 1997. [223652] Charlotte Atkins: The Department has made available funding to local authorities in England under the Urban Bus Challenge (UBC) Competition. Leicester has been successful with two UBC awards, for the Braunstone Community Service (£1.130 million awarded in 2001) and the for the Service 54 Enhancement (£82,000 awarded in 2003). Since 1998 the Department has also made available funding to local authorities in England under the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) and the Rural Bus Challenge (RBC) Competition. The following table shows the total amounts made available under all three grant schemes in England by year: _________________________________________________________________________________________________. £ million1 1998-99 43.7 1999-2000 49.3 2000-01 53.7 2001-02 77.3 2002-03 85.7 2003-04 88.4 2004-05 51.0 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1 Includes totals awarded to RBC and UBC schemes in the year of award. Expenditure on Challenge projects is typically spread over 2-3 financial years. Challenge competitions were not held in 2004. The majority of funding for local bus services is available through the Government's Revenue Support Grant (RSG) to local authorities. It is a matter for each authority to decide how much of their RSG resources are used to support bus services. Bus services throughout England will also have benefited from the Department's Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) and support for local transport capital expenditure.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

432 c942W; 223652

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Bus services Finance Leicester

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk