Councils in England hit by ‘unsustainable’ £450m bill for free bus passes

LGA says services being put at risk by huge cost and calls way Whitehall funds scheme not fit for purpose

Councils in England are being hit by a completely unsustainable" annual bill of more than 450m to prop up the free bus pass scheme, according to an analysis.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which calculated the figure, said the enormous cost was putting services at risk.