5. Will the Minister make a statement on community transport provision in the Cynon Valley? OQ56960

Cynon Valley is currently served by a community transport scheme operated by Accessible Caring Transport. Rhondda Cynon Taf council provide financial support for this service, using the bus services support grant provided by the Welsh Government and their own funds.

Thank you, Minister, for that answer. Accessible Caring Transport provides a lifeline for those in need of community transport in my constituency, and it's been at the forefront of providing transport for clients to essential healthcare during the pandemic. As the Deputy Minister will know, the Wales Co-operative Party manifesto, 'Owning the Future', commits Labour and Co-operative MSs like myself to protect the indispensable role of community transport. So, will the Deputy Minister agree to meet with me and other Labour and Co-operative MSs to discuss the promotion and protection of the sector, as well as the scope for encouraging the growth of co-operative and social enterprise providers of community transport in Wales?   

Yes, of course, I'd be happy to meet my fellow Wales Co-operative Members of the Senedd to discuss this. Community transport has an important part to play as part of the mix of solutions we see to achieve modal shift. We are trialling, of course, with Transport for Wales, our own Fflecsi bus service, which adopts a similar principle to community transport of providing a flexibility to meet people's needs, putting the user first. I'm conscious that Accessible Caring Transport in the Member's constituency was designed specifically for those who find it difficult or impossible to use conventional buses, and provides an important gap in the market. How we are able to continue to do this and how Rhondda Cynon Taf are able to afford to continue to do it, given the budget challenges we all face, is a live question, and I'd be very happy to discuss that with her and other Members. 

As the Deputy Minister will be aware, the Connecting Communities programme has ended earlier than planned, because the Welsh Government's invitation and selection of the project was not in accordance with requirements of European regulations. The Connecting Communities programme has been a lifeline for vulnerable people to be able to access vital services, and for them to maintain a level of freedom they would otherwise be unable to achieve. I'm sure that the Deputy Minister will agree with me that there is significant need for support to continue to grow community travel facilities, particularly in rural and semi-rural locations like the Vale of Glamorgan and RCT, where transport links can be unreliable. Can the Deputy Minister outline what discussions they have had with the community links association in order to provide a new stream of funding for community travel? Thank you. 

I will have to write to the Member about the detail of that. It's not immediately available off the top of my head. However, the broad point he makes is a fair one, as I've just indicated, in the question, and I'd be happy to follow up.FootnoteLink

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