Jon Pearce: Our Better Buses Bill does exactly what it says on the tin.

For too long, our community has been left powerless against the cuts to many vital bus services. In High Peak, we have seen the loss of the no. 202, 236, 239, X18, X57, 61A. The 271 went in March too, leaving many students and commuters in Hope Valley unable to get to college and work in Sheffield.

This trend has continued all throughout Derbyshire, where there has been a reduction of over 5 million miles driven by buses between 2010 and 2023. To put that into context, that’s the same number of miles as travelling to the moon and back ten times.

This problem is more than statistics though – it is real lives ruined.

I think of the elderly lady in Whaley Bridge who was only able to get to her monthly hospital appointments thanks to the kindness of her neighbour.

I think of the assistant manager in shop in Glossop who could not take a promotion to manager in Buxton because the 61 Bus did not run late enough at night to get home.

I think of the lady in Buxton who loves the theatre but often must leave without seeing the end of shows in Sheffield because otherwise she would have no way home.

The first campaign I ran, as a newly selected candidate for the General Election, was for students in High Peak to be able to get free bus travel to colleges in Greater Manchester like their classmates over the border. Working with Claire Ward, Labour’s East Midlands Mayor, we were able to save High Peak families hundreds of pounds a year and ensure that cost was not a consideration for our young people when deciding what courses, they wanted to do and careers they dreamed of pursuing.

Labour’s Better Buses Bill will make further schemes like this easier to implement. By transferring powers away from Westminster and put them in the hands of local decision-makers.

This Bill will transfer powers away from Westminster and empower local communities to take the decisions necessary for our commuters to get to work, our students to get to college, our vulnerable to access the healthcare they need and our honey pot villages to manage tourism sustainably.

Labour’s Better Buses Bill does exactly what it says on the tin and I look forward to seeing better bus services across High Peak.