Tory council chiefs joined a furious backlash today after being “overlooked” in Boris Johnson ’s cut-back bus funding plan.
Ministers announced £1.2bn for 34 areas to cut fares and journey times in “bus service improvement plans” (BSIPs) - including Kent, Norfolk, Warrington, Somerset and West Berkshire.
Yet the cash went to fewer than half of the 79 English areas that were eligible and told to apply.
The funding is also much less than the ‘£3bn bus revolution’ Boris Johnson promised a year ago.
Once other commitments are added, it’s thought £2.4bn had been announced as of this week.
Downing Street is understood to be in a tussle with the Treasury about getting the rest of the cash, with no guarantees it will be delivered.
South Yorkshire’s Labour mayor Dan Jarvis said “we’ve been shafted” after his area asked for £474m but got no BSIP cash - and his anger was matched by Tories.
Conservative Don Mackenzie of North Yorkshire Council blasted: “We knew the Bus Back Better budget had been severely curtailed.
“But I expected to get some money, not nothing at all, so I'm very disappointed.”
The government claimed areas that failed to get the cash had not shown “sufficient ambition” with their improvement plans.
But Shropshire Council said it had been praised for its “very strong bid” of nearly £100m - only to get nothing.
Its Conservative transport chief Cecilia Motley said she was “devastated”, adding: “We are at a complete loss as to why we have been completely overlooked.”
Mr Mackenzie added: “I don’t think our plans lacked ambition, they were worth £116 million over eight years.”
BSIP improvements include making services more frequent and reliable, with cheaper fares and greener vehicles. In Cornwall, a trial starting on Sunday will see most fares cut.
Conservative Richard Smith of Suffolk County Council, which asked for £107m, said: "The funding we bid for would have given us a real opportunity to transform bus services in Suffolk.
“It is disappointing but it should be remembered that this funding would have been over and above our existing budget of £1.58m.”
Even areas that were successful got less than they asked for. Liverpool City Region asked for £667million - and got £12.3million.
Centre for Cities Chief Executive Andrew Carter welcomed the investment but warned: "It is disappointing to see cuts to the National Bus Strategy funding, compared to what was promised last year.
"Several cities and city regions are getting a fraction of the money they applied for or, in some cases, nothing at all."
Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh added: “The Conservatives have slashed the funding promised, and dramatically downgraded the ambitions of many local communities.
“Far from bus transformation, many will continue to see managed decline.
“Communities nationwide will be paying the price for these broken promises.”
Other areas that missed out include Hull, Slough, Telford and Wrekin, Lincolnshire and Cheshire.
Officials insisted seven areas with no BSIP cash were handed money from other pots, including for zero-emission buses. They include North Yorkshire, Blackpool, Leicester, Tees Valley and South Yorkshire.
The £1.2bn was separate to £525m for zero-emission buses, £600m for mayoral city regions as part of other settlements, and £100m on a better deal for bus users.
The Department for Transport claimed nearly two-thirds of England's population outside London will "benefit from new investment”, including earlier pledges.
It added another £2billion had been given to support bus and light rail services through the pandemic.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Buses are the most popular way of getting around in this country – but for too long people outside of London have had a raw deal.
“The investment we’re making today to ramp up the bus revolution will drive down fares at a time when people’s finances are tight and help connect communities across England.”
