Fears over cuts to rural bus subsidies

North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) has begun a consultation on plans to reduce bus subsidies by 25 per cent – the equivalent of £1.1m a year – as part of a range of proposals to balance budgets as it grapples with Government cuts to its budgets.

The authority spends about £4.4m each year subsidising the 20 per cent of bus journeys that are not commercially viable, ensuring rural communities keep a transport lifeline. It says it can no longer afford to do this but has pledged to ensure every effort is made to retain basic services to the closest market towns wherever possible.

Coun Philip Broadbank, the leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Council, urged as many people as possible to get involved with the consultation: “We are convinced that there are other ways of saving the money and that NYCC needs to look again and think more creatively about how it can offer a good level of service to the community.”

The proposals under consideration will hit the Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby areas.

Earlier, county councillor Chris Metcalfe, the county council’s member for passenger transport, said: “We know that bus services are a lifeline for many people – not everyone has access to a car.

“However, we have huge financial pressures and we have to reduce our expenditure across the board.”

The consultation runs until November 25. Details are available online at http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/busconsultation or at the county council’s libraries. The county council is faced with enforcing cuts totalling over £160m by 2018/19.