CUMBRIA has received a ‘kick in the teeth’ after the government rejected the county’s bid for a share in a billion-pound pot for bus improvements.

Central government announced on Monday that £1.08 billion in funding will be shared out across 31 regions in England to improve bus services as part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan-but not a single penny will go to Cumbria.

Cumbria County Council had put together a bid that included extending child fare discounts from under 16s to under 21s, offering season ticket deals to low paid workers, and offering evening services on key tourist routes in the main summer season.

Greater Manchester was allocated £94.8 million; West Midlands £87.9 million and Luton £19.1 million.

Graham Vidler, Chief Executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport said the funds will give operators the certainty they need to run an extensive network of services.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that the funding "will also help authorities and operators work together to provide even better services for people right across the country."

The decision has been slammed by Cumbria County Council’s leader Stewart Young and Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron, who both said the move showed the government was ‘not serious’ about levelling up.

"I can confirm that we have been notified today that Cumbria will not receive any grant at all to help us improve our bus services,” said Cllr Young.

“We have been advised that we should bid instead to the Levelling Up Fund.

"Coming after the loss of £40 million over four years for repairing our roads, which has also been transferred into the Levelling Up Fund, it goes to show that the Government is not serious in its Levelling Up agenda as far as Cumbria is concerned.

"When the Conservatives privatised bus services in 1986, everyone knew it would never work in sparsely populated areas like Cumbria, as the private operators would focus on urban areas where they could make a profit, but the Prime Minister promised he would sort all that out with a £3 billion funding pot.

"We need our MPs to be fighting Cumbria's corner and banging on government's door to make them change their mind."

Mr Farron said the government had delivered ‘diddly squat’.

 “This is a massive kick in the teeth to residents across Cumbria who are crying out for better bus services, especially people living in our rural villages.

“The county council came forward with a plan to improve bus services and the government hasn’t given us a single penny.

“The Conservatives promised us ‘London standard’ public transport and they’ve delivered diddly squat.

“Levelling up? What a joke.”