Multi-million pound Shropshire bus allocations still 'substantially short' of revamping county services, warn council chiefs
Council bosses admit new bus funding allocations for Shropshire fall "substantially short" of what is required to revitalise services in the county.
The Government has announced its Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) allocations, under which Shropshire Council will receive £8,758,950 in revenue funding up to 2029, and £5,871,053 in capital funding up to 2030.
Shropshire Council will receive £2,919,650 revenue funding in each financial year, totalling £8.75m. The authority has also been allocated £1.42m in capital funding for 2026 to 2027, £1.45m for 2027 to 2028, £1.48m for 2028 to 2029 and £1.51m for 2029 to 2030.
While council transport chiefs have welcomed the additional funding, they say it falls short of what was set out in the authority's Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), which laid out ambitions to transform public transport and ensure it "becomes a legitimate choice of travel in a rural county".
The BSIP, published in 2024, identified that £73.5 million would be required to deliver the level of change needed across Shropshire.
Council chiefs say they will work closely with local bus operators to protect coverage where it is most needed, and make targeted improvements wherever funding allows.
