In the course of last week, KCC had confirmation from the Department for Transport that we have been awarded an extra £16 million in funding related to our Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). This was announced by the Roads Minister Richard Holden on his visit to Kent on Wednesday. I was not able to join him on this visit - I was already committed to a social care event in Margate - but I had been able to have a very valuable meeting with the Minister in London last Monday.
In one sense, this is not new news; KCC was awarded a total of £35 million in BSIP funding for 2022-25 early last year. However, the first tranche (of £19 million) did not arrive until near the end of the 2022-23 financial year, with the expectation that it be spent before April 2024. At that point, there was no firm commitment to the remaining funding, but it is very welcome that it has now been confirmed.
The original focus of BSIP funding was much more heavily tilted towards capital than revenue, and even with regard to revenue the government’s emphasis was on promoting viable new routes and bus travel in general rather than protecting uneconomic services. This remains broadly the case; however, given the general crisis in the industry, there is now somewhat more flexibility and KCC is doing its utmost to support the network, especially in relation to school services, though these are still services that have the potential for a sustainable long-term future.
We will be publishing more details of the deployment of BSIP funding soon. With all the caveats, and the challenges faced by the industry (as seen in the Stagecoach reductions in East Kent), this is nonetheless good news.
You can find the DfT’s media release here.
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