I was pleased to be able to speak at the Birmingham City Council Bus Summit yesterday (Thursday), supporting the Shadow Transport Secretary, Andy McDonald, and I was impressed by the scale of the Labour council’s ambition for their city.

Birmingham Labour has produced a bus manifesto, highlighting their commitment to investment in bus services, as part of plans for a significant improvement in public transport, to reduce congestion and pollution and to offer a better deal for residents who face traffic jams and high bus fares.

I spoke about national Labour policy, to better fund buses, to offer more powers for councils and a young person’s bus pass. I also spoke about significant advantages offered by municipal bus companies such as Reading Buses, as allowing councils to run bus services again is a key part of our policy.