This is our submission to HM Treasury's Comprehensive Spending Review 2021. In our submission, we warn Government that wider objectives for carbon reduction and levelling up (as well as the specific objectives of the national active travel and bus strategies) cannot be met without increased spending on local transport. Indeed, without additional funding bus patronage (and bus network size) are likely to remain at levels well below what they were pre-pandemic (when patronage and network size were already at an all-time low).

To fully realise the benefits of enhanced, devolved and longer term funding for local transport we need city region transport authorities which are fully empowered to take decisions across the modes in a way which reflects local circumstances and aspirations.