Welsh Liberal Democrats claim success in bus cash row

5.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 2nd Jul 2008

Long delayed bus grants to support vital rural services have finally been announced - a whole three months after the start of the financial year.

Kirsty Williams, Welsh Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson, has been pressuring the government on this issue for months:

"I'm pleased that following the Welsh Liberal Democrat-led debate on this issue last week, the government has been made to feel sufficiently guilty that it has coughed up the cash. Local authorities across Wales have been waiting for this money a long time. Last year, the grant was announced in February - this year we have had to wait to run a July. That reflects badly on the efficiency of this Labour-Plaid Government.

"The government has failed to appreciate the importance of bus services in Wales. Figures for the 2007/08 Assembly Government spending on Transport show that 49% of this budget went on roads whilst a meagre 13% went towards buses and 4% on Integrating local transport, walking and cycling.

"The government have tried to evade scrutiny on this issue for a long time. I'm pleased we can finally see what they are planning, and that local authorities can get on with spending the money and improving bus services in all parts of Wales."

Notes:

Last week, in the Senedd, Kirsty Williams introduced the following debate:

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

Believes that the Welsh Assembly Government is failing to realise the potential of buses in developing an integrated and sustainable transport network

It was voted down by the Labour-Plaid government.