Referral of the proposed West Midlands Bus Network Support Grant scheme by West Midlands Combined Authority
Source: gov.uk (2025-04-17)

The Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) has published a report providing advice to West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) concerning its proposed West Midlands Bus Network Support Grant scheme.

Administrative timetable

Final report

17 April 2025: The SAU has published its report providing advice to WMCA concerning the proposed West Midlands Bus Network Support Grant Scheme. The report sets out the SAU’s evaluation of WMCA’s Assessment of Compliance of its proposed Scheme with the requirements set out in the Subsidy Control Act 2022.
- Final report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-on-the-proposed-west-midlands-bus-network-support-grant-scheme) (17.4.25)
Request from WMCA

6 March 2025: The SAU has accepted a request for a report from West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) concerning the proposed West Midlands Bus Network Support Grant scheme (the Scheme). This request relates to a Subsidy Scheme of Particular Interest.

The SAU will prepare a report, which will provide an evaluation of the WMCA’s assessment of whether the scheme complies with the subsidy control requirements (Assessment of Compliance). The SAU will complete its report within 30 working days.

Information about the scheme provided by WMCA

Without significant support, the bus network in the West Midlands will be drastically reduced, causing serious social and economic suffering for the region’s residents and businesses, and damage to the environment.

WMCA will be providing £50m to operators of commercial local bus services in the West Midlands as part of a bus recovery package. This will provide bus network security for up to 12 months from 1st May 2025.

WMCA is currently conducting a public consultation on bus franchising which is a manifesto commitment of the West Midlands Mayor and a final decision on whether the Authority will move to a franchising approach will be made in 2025.

The Scheme will run from 1st May 2025 to 31st December 2025 with an option to extend for 4 months until the end of April 2026. Any extension will be within the overall cost of the scheme.

The Scheme will be open to Local Bus Operators providing registered local bus services in the West Midlands which are operated on a fully commercial basis and will be known as the West Midlands Bus Network Support Grant.

Information for third parties

If you wish to comment on matters relevant to the SAU’s evaluation of the Assessment of Compliance concerning the West Midlands Bus Network Support Grant scheme, please send your comments on the date stipulated in the timetable above. For guidance on representations relevant to the Assessment of Compliance, see the section on reporting period and transparency in the Operation of the subsidy control functions of the Subsidy Advice Unit (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-the-operation-of-the-subsidy-control-functions-of-the-subsidy-advice-unit/operation-of-the-subsidy-control-functions-of-the-subsidy-advice-unit).

Please send your submissions to the public authority: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).

Please also provide a contact address and explain in what capacity you are making the submission (for example, as an individual or a representative of a business or organisation).

Notes to third parties wishing to make a submission

The SAU will only take your submission into account if it can be shared with WMCA. The SAU will send a copy of your submission to WMCA together with its report. This is to allow the public authority to take account of the submission in its decision as to whether to make or modify the scheme or its assessment. We therefore ask that you provide express consent for your full and unredacted submission to be shared. We also encourage you to share your submission directly with WMCA using the email address provided above.

The SAU may use the information you provide in its published report. Therefore, you should indicate in your submission whether any specified parts of it are commercially confidential. If the SAU wishes to refer in its published report to material identified as confidential, it will contact you in advance.

For further details on confidentiality of third-party submissions, see identifying confidential information in the Operation of the subsidy control functions of the Subsidy Advice Unit (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-the-operation-of-the-subsidy-control-functions-of-the-subsidy-advice-unit/operation-of-the-subsidy-control-functions-of-the-subsidy-advice-unit).

Contacts
- CMA press team: xx-xxxx-xxxx or xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)