Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to review the adequacy of public transport options in the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones

Local transport authorities across England are responsible for public transport in their local areas, as has been the case under previous Administrations. This includes the development of policies relating to local transport, including public transport, and the preparation and publication of a local transport plan. In the Metropolitan area of the West Midlands, this responsibility sits with the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority.

In the 2015 Summer Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £5million for Midlands Connect, a partnership of Local Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships from across the Midlands, to develop its transport vision and strategy for transforming transport connectivity across the region in order to drive economic growth. Officials from the Department for Transport continue to work with Midlands Connect and the partnership launched their approach to this task today.