On the buses

ERIC Pickles, the Communities Secretary, believes his Localism Bill – due to be unveiled today – will mark a sea-change in decision-making. "By letting councils and communities run their own affairs, we can build a stronger, fairer Britain," said the one-time Bradford Council leader.

The counter-argument is that the Pickles doctrine, part of the Government's so-called "big society", will pass the buck for many of the most damaging cuts onto local communities, as Labour's Caroline Flint contends on the opposite page, and Ministers will absolve themselves of responsibility.

Which argument is right?

The answer is likely to be provided by the nature of Sunday and Bank Holiday bus services in rural North Yorkshire if councils have to press ahead with subsidy cuts. The outcome, if these regrettable changes go ahead, is likely to be the existence of a skeleton service in a region that is home to some of the country's finest tourist attractions.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

For many, whether they be visitors to the area or local residents who cannot afford transport of their own, the bus is the only way of travelling across the county and accessing key services which are becoming centralised in market towns.

The likes of Mr Pickles will argue that rural communities will now have it within their power to run their own services. However, the Minister would be advised not to be too dismissive.

Those rural residents who can afford to run a car will continue as normal. They will not want to immerse themselves in such initiatives. And, while the less mobile would be keen to examine alternative funding sources, they are unlikely to have access to sufficient financial means to make this possible. As such, the future provision of buses in North Yorkshire will show whether the "big society" is a viable concept – or just another meaningless soundbite.