The West of England metro mayor has blamed South Gloucestershire Council as the main obstacle blocking bus franchising. Dan Norris said a lack of tax-raising powers meant he didn’t have the money to bring buses back under public control in the wider Bristol region.
All the nine other combined authorities in England have powers to raise their own income through charging a precept on council tax bills. The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is the odd one out without these powers, and mostly relies on receiving government funding with strict rules.
Mr Norris is facing growing pressure to formally explore how bus franchising could work in the region. Franchising would see the West of England have far more control over the region’s bus networks and timetables, and is being explored in other parts of the country.
