I’m a train guy at heart, but this week it’s only right to take a moment for the buses.  

Buses are the most used form of public transport across England, but approximately 300 million miles of bus services operating outside of London were slashed from 2010 to 2024.  

This left us with the farcical situation where, for example, there was no direct bus route from Nantwich to Leighton hospital. 

Thankfully following representations from myself, and Labour councillors in Nantwich, Cheshire East Council have rectified this situation, but it should never have been allowed to happen in the first place. 

Labour made fixing our transport infrastructure a national priority, through a combination of increased investment and tactical devolution. Following the government’s announcements last year, Cheshire East Council will receive >£5 million in the 2025/26 bus funding allocation.  

The Bus Services Bill, which I heard during its second reading in Parliament this week, will provide local authorities with the tools to make the most of that first round in additional funding.  

The plans will lift the ban on local authorities establishing their own bus companies, making it easier for them to control services and shape routes to work better for local people.  

As part of this, the government will also reduce some of the complexities and red tape involved in bus franchising, including reducing the minimum period between local areas taking control and being allowed to run services. 

The bill will also empower local authorities to work alongside private operators to improve bus services if they choose not to pursue full ownership.  

All this means that we will be able to make local decisions about our bus routes, working alongside private operators where we choose to deliver the best possible services for Crewe and Nantwich.  

This is especially important for the most vulnerable residents. The Bus Services Bill will stop routes being scrapped at short notice, tightening requirements for cancelling vital schedules – particularly those used by disadvantaged passengers. Those of us living in rural areas will have their commute, journeys to see family or friends, or essential trips into the town centres protected from cuts. 

I know that some residents have been frustrated at the frequency and scope of our buses, because of decisions like the removal of the 70, 72 and 73 rural Nantwich services. As a result of this week’s announcement, Labour is putting the power back in our hands to make our own decisions on how to keep Crewe and Nantwich connected. It goes without saying that our transport systems should be designed by the people that use them – and I will be monitoring the proposals to ensure that is the case in my constituency.