Bus depot purchasing plans questioned

Coventry's bus depot is among those to be purchased

Concerns have been raised about plans to purchase bus depots in the West Midlands as part of a scheme to bring the region's bus network back under public control.

Members of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) board were asked about the "dilapidated" condition of the depots, and urged to carry out structural surveys.

"What I don't want us to do as a combined authority is to set ourselves a ticking time bomb for the future," said councillor Adrian Andrew, from Walsall.

Transport bosses assured the board that each site would undergo due diligence as part of the process for purchasing them.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) will set fares, timetables and routes and award contracts to private operators, under the plans, which would see the network back under public control for the first time in almost 40 years.

Solihull councillor Heather Delaney said: "I understand the need to purchase the depots, however we don't appear to have any structural surveys or surveys of the conditions of the depots.

"Are we putting ourselves at risk of having significant costs of refurbishment and enhancements to those depots?"

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker said: "We will make sure we understand those risks and we are paying fair value for any of those assets and hopefully those valuations take into account any liabilities for those depots."

WMCA already owns the the Walsall depot in Carl Street. The other depots to be purchased are:

• Perry Barr depot in Aston Lane

• Cox Street depot in Ford Street, Coventry

• Wolverhampton depot in Park Lane

• Pensnett depot in Second Avenue

• West Bromwich depot in Oak Lane

• Acocks Green depot in Fox Hollies Road

• Birmingham Central depot in Liverpool Street

• Yardley Wood depot in Yardley Wood Road

• Birmingham Central depot has a short-term lease life remaining and mitigation plans were in place, which could include building a new depot in east Birmingham.