COUNCILLORS from across West Yorkshire have spoken of their desire to move local bus services into public ownership - but admit that is will prove a "tortuous" process.

Members of West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Transport Committee underlined their commitment to public ownership at a meeting on Friday, backing new West Yorkshire Mayor Tracey Brabin's vision for the service.

But one member said it was important that the public realised how long and expensive this programme it would be - saying some members of the public seemed to think that a bus franchising arrangement was something that could be "downloaded from the internet."

Mrs Brabin, who attended Friday's meeting, had made public ownership of West Yorkshire's bus network a key priority of her campaign. It is something that the Combined Authority had also looked into in recent years - and is now possible thanks to the West Yorkshire Devolution deal.

A report to the Committee on Thursday said the Government was making £3 billion available nationally to support bus services as the country emerges from lockdown.

Services that have seen dramatically reduced passenger numbers due to the pandemic have been propped up through Government support, and the latest pot of cash would continue that support through the Summer months.

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To be eligible, transport authorities would have to sign up to an "enhanced partnership" - which would involve working with bus companies to reduce bus fares and improving standards.

Authorities would have to let the Government know their intention to set up a partnership by the end of June.

Mayoral areas, such as West Yorkshire, had another option - they could instead begin a franchising arrangement and still be eligible for funding.

To do this they would have to draw up a business plan, subject the plan to independent audit and instigate a public consultation.

Highlighting how long this could take, a report to the Committee said Greater Manchester initiated this process in 2017 and in March 2021 approved the making of a franchising scheme which will be introduced in phases between 2023 and 2025.

The enhanced partnership would not rule out a franchising arrangement in the future.

Campaign group We Own It had criticised a report suggesting West Yorkshire develop an enhanced partnership, saying it would leave power over bus services "in the hands of private companies."

It had urged people to email members of the Transport Committee to urge them to look at franchising rather than an enhanced partnership.

At the meeting members said they had received hundreds of emails on the issue.

The committee pointed out that not signing up could lead to bus services losing much needed funding.

Wakefield Councillor Kevin Swift said: "We could ride both horses. We could deal with the imminent things we need to to to ensure we've got the funding necessary to ensure the bus network stays on the road over the Summer months.

"At the same time we could move towards a vision of public control, which is what most of us agree is what we really need."

He pointed out that there seemed to be a lack of understanding among the public on how huge an undertaking taking bus services into public ownership was.

He said: "It would be good if there was greater public awareness of tortuous nature of what we have to go through to achieve this.

"There is a feeling amongst some people out there who share our aspirations that a bus franchising arrangement is something you can download from the internet.

"There is a lack of appreciation of just how demanding a process this is."

Chair of the Committee Councillor Kim Groves said a similar process in Liverpool involved the public being made aware of the huge amount of public money that would have to be spent on such a change.

The Combined Authority will decide whether to progress with the enhanced partnership at a meeting on June 24.