Decision Maker: Council

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: No

Date of Decision: October 22, 2025

Purpose:

Content: RESOLVED: 1.      That this Council: a)      Strongly welcomes the passage of the Bus Services (No.2) Bill 2024 which is in its final stages of parliamentary approval. b)      Notes the New Towns Taskforce report recently published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government which identifies Milton Keynes as a new town location and highlights the potential for significant Government investment in a future Mass Rapid Transit system. c)      Recognises that while the proposed Mass Rapid Transit system will, in the long-term, provide a transformational step in addressing Milton Keynes' transport needs, residents cannot afford to wait years for reliable bus services. The city urgently needs a bus service that is affordable, accessible, and reliable now. d)      Requests the Administration, working with officers to bring forward an integrated proposal for a Milton Keynes City Council backed bus service that can meet the city's immediate transport needs and operate effectively alongside the new plans for the Mass Rapid Transit system once it is fully developed and operational. e)      Recognises that delivering a Council-run bus service would be a complex and specialist undertaking, and that the Council may not currently have the full technical or managerial capacity required to do so. Therefore, request that the proposal in d) includes any additional resource that would be required to fund and recruit any necessary external specialist expertise and operational oversight required to design, implement, manage and monitor an effective, value for money service for residents, that is both credible and sustainable.