Dorset has secured £12m bus funding from the government over the next three years, but this falls far short of funding given to other counties.
An article in the Echo on 8 December explained that Over the next three years, £6.8m in revenue funding will help Dorset Council and local operators make targeted upgrades, such as restoring some Saturday services and improving frequencies where demand is strongest. £5.2m in capital funding will pay for better bus stops and real-time information, with capital support continuing to 2029/30.
Whilst this may look like ‘big numbers’ and of course is welcomed, the difficulty is the continued disappointment with the national funding mechanism. The calculation gives Dorset only half the amount per head than adjacent rural counties like Somerset and only 40% of that going to Cornwall.
Giles Watts, Secretary of DTAG said, “We call on our MPs and other representatives to do more to fight our corner for a fair allocation of funding across local authorities particularly in rural areas like ours where accessibility to public transport is difficult at the best of times and in some areas non-existent”.
Stewart Palmer, Chair of DTAG, added, “Short term funding decisions have been a major issue in respect of long-term planning, and this 3-year deal is therefore to be welcomed. However, the big issue in Dorset is that what is needed is revenue support, rather than capital funding and whilst £2.2 million per annum of revenue support may sound like a lot of money, it will not go very far in delivering major service level improvements that are so desperately needed”.
Dorchester Transport Action Group will be working with the other Dorset Transport Action Groups to ensure that the available money is targeted where it will bring the biggest improvement for bus users and deliver value for money to taxpayers via our relationship with Dorset Council and our elected representative in Westminster.