Almost four decades ago, Margaret Thatcher’s government boldly predicted that privatising Britain’s bus sector would lead to “lower fares, new services, and more passengers”, while removing “any potential future liability on the taxpayer”. Well, we all know what happened next….
As a public transport user, I know that our bus and rail services don’t work for the people and communities they purport to serve.
A privatised system with only a handful of companies running routes and setting fares has led to rising ticket prices without the reliability to go with it. In addition, this Tory Government haven’t supported our bus and rail workers, many of whom worked through the pandemic and are now having to fight for decent wages. Yet Johnson and his gang have had no qualms about lifting the cap on city bonuses.
Simply put the system does not work. London’s relatively well-run and highly regulated system is, in fact, an outlier in Britain. Here in Huddersfield and in many parts of the North we have been let down by successive governments.
When I worked on Andy Burnham’s mayoral campaign in 2017, I helped write his manifesto and developed key policies such as bringing buses under public control – policies that are now being implemented. Here in West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin also has a strong focus on improving bus services and is already making progress. As a Councillor and member of the West Yorkshire Economy Scrutiny Panel I have advocated for publicly owned bus and rail services.
I will bring my experience to work with Labour colleagues to deliver a system with cheaper fares that are more reliable. I will work closely with the Mayor of West Yorkshire, our local councils and trade unions to ensure we have the right change that works for us.
Most importantly, I will fight with you for publicly controlled services so our communities are no longer cut off or disconnected. I will work to legislate minimum service levels, overturn the ban on municipal bus companies and throw financial and political support behind public control of our bus and rail services because we know it will work for us and not shareholders.