4. What discussions has the Minister had with local authorities regarding the improvement of local bus services to the Afan valley? OAQ53201

We work very closely with local authorities right across Wales on a number of fronts to further improve local bus services, and we continue to provide substantial funding to enable them to provide local bus services.

Thank you for that answer, Minister. The Afan valley is actually serviced by two local authorities in one sense, because buses come from Maesteg and Bridgend. The focus, mainly, is from Port Talbot up to the Afan valley. Now, the communities of the Afan valley are some of the most disadvantaged communities that we have in Wales and they don't have a lot of cars. The percentage of car ownership is quite low in comparison to many other areas; they rely upon bus services. Now, unfortunately, the bus service from Port Talbot up to the Afan valley one hour goes to Glyncorrwg, the second hour, it goes to Blaengwynfi and alternates. So, for two hours, you have to wait for a bus to come up. Now, for people who haven't got transport and who have to access services, whether it's employment, or maybe elderly people who need to go to hospital services 10 miles down the road to Neath Port Talbot Hospital, they may spend all day travelling and getting there to get back in for maybe a half-an-hour appointment. Now, these are challenging times. I've written to the bus company, who seem to focus mainly on commercial activities. But will you therefore meet with Neath Port Talbot Council and Bridgend County Borough Council to look at the opportunities to support bus transportation to allow people to actually get to places on time without spending their whole life travelling?

I'd be more than happy to meet with the local authorities. In fact, the example that David Rees has highlighted today shows the potential benefits of creating joint transport authorities on a regional basis so that local authorities can plan and deliver bus services together in a collaborative way. I think David also highlights a fundamental flaw in current arrangements, which is that neither the Welsh Government nor local authorities have the powers to require a bus company to run a particular service. That's achieved through local authority contracts, including a public subsidy. Now, we've been able to maintain the bus services support grant at £25 million for some time, and this money is used to supplement—I should stress 'supplement'—local authority budgets for this purpose. It does not exist to replace local authority budgets, and I do think that it's essential that local authorities continue to demonstrate their commitment to local connectivity by maintaining their own budgets for subsidising bus and community transport services. But this fundamental flaw in the system cannot and will be addressed in a sustainable way by having local government and Welsh Government continue to subsidise non-commercial routes. What we need is radical reform, and I've recently outlined, through the White Paper, the proposals that the Welsh Government has for addressing the dire consequences of deregulation and the decisions made in the mid 1980s for bus services. Through the reforms that we are proposing, I seek to ensure that bus services across the length and breadth of Wales serve the needs of passengers and citizens, rather than serve the desire of some to profit from this incredibly valuable and necessary service for many of our communities. And, Llywydd, I would encourage all Members to take a keen interest in the White Paper and to submit observations and views before the consultation ends in mid March.

Well, of course, both the councils that David Rees mentioned are in different city regions, which are taking very different approaches to their future transport needs. So, how that would progress is really very interesting. But, in the short term, in March 20i8, you confirmed that you'd issued guidance to local authorities to commit no less than 5 per cent of their bus budget to community transport, and, of course, community transport, if it follows the regulations properly, can pick up some non-commercial routes. It's a year on now. Are you confident that councils are following that guidance?

I am not yet confident that the guidance is being fully followed by all, and the extent of local authorities' commitment to maintain their own budgets for bus subsidies will therefore increasingly be reflected in my decisions about each authority's bus services support grant allocation, the reason being that I want to make sure that we use taxpayers' money that comes to Welsh Government to incentivise enhanced services in our communities, and we will only do that within the current arrangements on a short-term basis, by ensuring that local authorities contribute to the bus services support grant funding. Longer term, of course, through the reforms, as we use more of the tools that are currently available, but as we develop more tools and levers, I think we will be able to deploy a service across Wales that is not just more effective for meeting passenger needs, but one that is also more sustainable in terms of costs.

My view is that the system is currently broken. We have a perverse situation where councils are cutting key services like libraries and community centres in the Afan valley, with four more proposed for Neath Port Talbot ongoing, expecting people from the Afan valley, then, to travel further to get to those services, but then they can't get to those services, because the buses are simply not there.

You mention the White Paper. What, within that White Paper, because a lot of people may not read that—? What are the headlines from that so that people in our area can be assured that, when those changes come about, either through changing the law, whether it's a not-for-profit company like Transport for Wales that takes over the regulation, they will have more frequent buses in their valley communities, so that they can continue to live there and that they don't become ghost towns with people moving away from those areas because the services are simply not there anymore?

I think the Member makes a really important point. The system is broken, and that's why the reforms that we've outlined in the White Paper are so necessary. In brief—and, again, I would invite all Members to read the White Paper and to submit observations—the proposals include franchising powers, they include the power to be able create municipal bus companies, they include proposals for greater integration of different forms of transport, they include the creation of joint transport authorities to deliver and plan bus services on a regional basis, and they include proposals for Transport for Wales to take a more active role in delivering this vital service for the people of Wales.

Alongside this, there are potential changes that can be made in terms of the fare regime for passengers to make it more affordable, and more transparent as well, to integrate tickets. It's still a shocking fact that, in some parts of Wales, 20 per cent of unemployed young people can't afford, or can't get, a bus service to their interviews, never mind to jobs. They are locked out of employment because the system is broken, and that's why I believe that the proposals in the White Paper—that's why I believe that radical reform is so vital.