(21 Jun 2023, 8:41 am)Adrian wrote £12m rescue package to save at-risk North East bus services amid threat of major cuts
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...s-27163447

"Council leaders have agreed to spend up to £12.2m to protect services at risk of being slashed, as they brace for private bus operators to wield the axe in the coming months. However, that cash comes from a pot of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding that the Government had originally awarded the North East to make wide-ranging upgrades across the region such as cutting fare prices and renovating stations – not simply to avoid existing routes being slashed."

Didn't take long for that begging bowl to come out, once the BSIP allocation became fair game...