Council scraps £405k bus cuts

Shropshire Council has scrapped plans to make £405,000 of cuts to local bus services.

Instead the authority will look to make £180,000 savings in areas which were brought to attention during public consultation.

The climbdown comes after 1,000 people took part in a consultation which the authority said was one of its biggest ever responses.

The fresh proposals are due to be approved by the council’s cabinet next week.

However, proposed changes to Shrewsbury’s Park and Ride service will go ahead as planned and will be implemented from September 1.

They include upping the price of a single ticket from £1.60 to £2 and scrapping the £2.50 family ticket altogether. Concessionary fees will also be dropped.

Councillor Simon Harris, deputy portfolio holder for transport, said he was excited for the future after listening to the consultation.

He said: “This goes to show that we as a council listen to the public and what they want.

“We had almost 1,000 responses from the public and I had about 40 emails a day and three or four letters every day while the consultation was on and I read every one.

“We have had some tremendous ideas from members of the public and we are looking at those to see what can be developed.

“But I am pleased to say that the cuts will not be going ahead like previously proposed. There was going to be £405,000 cuts to the bus services and £50,000 to the park and ride.

“Now it will be £180,000 and £50,000. We will make efficiencies all round to make this work and that will develop as we move ahead.”

Councillor Harris also defended accusations that the council would struggle to balance the books given the level of cuts needed.

He said: “People say we need to balance the books and we are going back on proposed cuts and will struggle to do that.

“What I am saying is that I am listening to residents and putting their needs first. I am here to represent them and do good by them.

“We will balance the books somehow through efficiencies and work hard and take it from there.”

He added: “We also want to deliver the best park and ride service. Some cuts have had to be made but we will strive to bring in improvements.”

The services affected by the cuts will be discussed in coming months and another round of public consultation will be held later this year.

Looking to the future, Councillor Harris said he wouldn’t even rule out Shropshire Council buying its own buses and becoming a provider.

“We haven’t put that on the table, but it is something I wouldn’t rule out,” he said.
“We could become a provider and get buses in ourselves. This is our chance to really transform the way public transport is provided in the county.

“If we can make it work in Shropshire we can make it work anywhere.

“I also want to look at getting buses that run in accordance with train times, especially with extra services from the West Midlands being introduced.”

The plans will go before Shropshire Council’s cabinet on June 12.