LibDem Councillors Demand Bus Bosses "Reverse Bus Cuts Now!"

At a meeting with First Group bosses this evening (18 August), North Somerset Liberal Democrat Councillors have demanded that proposed cuts to vital local bus services are scrapped.

Cllr John Crockford-Hawley, Chair of the Place Scrutiny Panel, chairing the meeting said: "District Councillors are horrified at this unilateral decision by First to withdraw services, especially since here in North Somerset we have put so much effort and time into providing better facilities for passengers to use the network and will be working hard with government grants to further improve infrastructure."

Cllr Patrick Keating, Blagdon and Churchill, highlighted the particularly damaging impact of cuts to rural areas, where people who do not have access to private cars are now cut off from vital services. "The agreement to save some parts of the X5 route shows that it is possible to find ways to save some services. First Bus and North Somerset Council must now quickly work together to reach an agreement to save routes under threat in the villages, and particularly the 126 route connecting Wells to Weston-super-Mare through many of our villages."

The Weston-super-Mare Liberal Democrats have been running a petition calling on First Bus to think again about the proposed cuts. Our petition to save the X5 has attracted nearly 1,000 signatures and our petition to save the 126 has reached more than 2,600 signatures, showing the strength of local feeling about the need to protect local public transport links.