Move to prevent community transport funding cuts

A leading councillor has praised the council for backing his move to help safeguard community transport in the county’s most rural areas.

Independent group leader Bob Matthews’ tabled an amendment last week to Herefordshire Council’s.

His amendment called for the £225,000-worth of funding to keep public spending on school, college and public transport and subsidies for community transport should remain the same for the next financial year.

The council will achieve this by reducing the £500,000 community transport vehicle grant to £275,000.

“I was very pleased that the amendment went through with so much support,” coun Matthews said.

“We feel it is extremely important for the wellbeing of residents living in a rural area.”

He said the rural areas have lost almost all of their late night bus services leaving many young vulnerable people and many low earning and elderly residents totally isolated.

And he believes to suggest the removal of their subsidy would have been unacceptable.

“Volunteers with a very modest grant are giving their time freely and providing an extremely valuable service,” he said.

“They would feel abandoned and lose the will to continue. This service cannot tolerate further cuts.”
The amendment received strong support from most of the council.