York: Tory mayoral candidate pledges to undo Labour council bus service cuts

Keane Duncan, transport executive at North Yorkshire Council, is the Conservative candidate to run the newly formed York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.

If elected on May 2, Mr Duncan will have new powers over transport and has pledged to overturn cuts to bus services agreed by the City of York Council’s executive in February.

The cuts will save the council £200,000 by no longer subsidising routes that were economically unviable, but socially necessary.

One change included withdrawing the Monday to Friday route serving the Flaxman Croft Loop in Copmanthorpe, which would result in an additional walking distance of up to 0.4 miles (650m) to the nearest bus stop for some residents.

Mr Duncan said: “If elected as Mayor in May, I will release the funds needed to stop the cuts, including the controversial axing of the Flaxman Croft Loop in Copmanthorpe.

“Passengers can be assured this will happen in my first week.

“By doing this, I will ensure all at-risk services in York are protected until at least 2025, the point when we secure a new, £380m transport settlement from central government.

“Stopping these cuts would allow the new combined authority time to consider the needs of York and North Yorkshire’s whole bus network and agree on a new investment plan.

“This would put us in the strongest possible position to not only protect but expand bus services across both York and North Yorkshire into the future.”

Copmanthorpe is a village to the south of York where the proportion of people older than 65-years-old is 11.4 per cent higher than the national average.

Ward councillor for the area, as well as Conservative group leader on the City of York Council, Coun Chris Steward, said: “Labour's cutting of the Flaxman Croft loop in Copmanthorpe typifies how illogical the cut would be.

“By giving some people a walk of nearly 1km to the bus stop it would remove the desirability of the likes of commuting on the bus for many and would also make journeys like within the village to the doctor impossible for residents with limited mobility.”

But the leader of the City of York Council, Coun Claire Douglas, said the argument against her council’s changes relies on an assumed reduction in bus patronage, of which she says there is “no evidence”.

Coun Douglas said the council will deliver “affordable, efficient and stable” bus services “by removing the month-to-month existence of some services, which leads to residents lacking confidence in using them and creating a network that people know will exist for the long-term.”

Coun Douglas added: “This will create a stable network that’s also financially sustainable.”

Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors have also ‘called-in’ the decision to be reviewed at a scrutiny management committee meeting on March 11.

Coun Ed Pearson, a Liberal Democrat who also works as a strategy manager for LNER, said: “The council’s executive has rushed through this decision on the bus network review which will slash services across the city, making some journeys impossible.”