Councillors clash over re-routing of city bus service

The Stagecoach No 20 service has been withdrawn from Bude Road and Bodmin Road in the Bransholme West seat of Labour councillor Phil Webster, while continuing to serve Kingswood in the Kings Park ward of Liberal Democrat council leader Carl Minns.

Coun Webster, who claims the service was changed without consultation, will table a motion at the council next Thursday calling for it to be reinstated.

He said: “The reason I am really angry about this is I only heard about it when I spoke to an honorary alderman who uses the service.

“The irony is that the bus is being taken out of Bransholme West but will still go through Kings Park, the ward of the council leader, and I saw that they are going to hold a bus forum to discuss the future of bus services on Kings Park. It stinks of hypocrisy.

“This area of Bransholme has one of the lowest densities of car ownership in the city, if not the country, and people will now have to get a bus to the North Point Centre to pick up connections there.”

Coun Minns said: “The number 20 never went round Bransholme West originally and the loop was only introduced about 18 months ago.

It’s a vital lifeline for Kingswood and I’ve worked hard with Stagecoach to make sure that route is preserved for people who rely on it.

“It’s got nothing to do with me being leader of the council; it’s got everything to do with me being a good ward councillor.”

Stagecoach said the route had been altered because the council had withdrawn its subsidy.

Operations manager Tony Fieldsend said: “It’s a long and tortuous route and it’s really for the residents of Kingswood. People in Bude Road and Bodmin Road have to understand they can still get to Beverley Road but they will have to make two journeys now.”