Consultation Responses
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Local Authority special grant funding for the 2008 national bus concession in England – November 2007
This consultation response is in reply to the Department for Transport’s specific grant proposals regarding free concessionary bus travel. This will commence in April 2008 when free off-peak local bus travel will be made available to all people aged 60 and over and eligible disabled people, who are resident in England. This will apply to travel from 9.30am to 11pm on weekdays, and all day at weekends and on bank holidays. The previous statutory minimum concession guaranteed free off-peak bus travel only within an individual local authority’s area.
The new concession, enabled by the provisions set out in the Concessionary Bus Travel (CBT) Act 2007, will impose a greater funding burden on Travel Concession Authority’s (TCA) because they will be obliged to reimburse operators for more journeys. The Department for Transport is making £212 million available in 2008/9 to TCA’s in England to cover these additional costs.
The consultation presented four specific grant options on how this additional funding should be distributed. The Association, in consultation with its Members has responded to these options.
