Lib Dems slam County Council as more bus cuts are announced

Residents in East Hampshire are to be hit by yet another wave of cuts to vital bus services, it was revealed today. Petersfield, Alton and Whitehill-Bordon will all be hit by the latest bus cuts from Conservative run Hampshire County Council.

Hampshire County Council’s Executive member for Environment Cllr Melville Kendal has axed council funding - affecting a total of 50 different bus services across Hampshire, including the following buses in East Hampshire:

Stagecoach 13 Alton – Whitehill - Liphook (weekday service cut back in school holidays)

Stagecoach 18 Aldershot - Farnham - Bordon - Haselmere (weekday evening services cut after 19.15 hrs)

Stagecoach 72 Alton – Petersfield (weekday services cut back in school holidays)

Stagecoach 67 Winchester -Cheriton - Petersfield (off-peak journeys cut back)

County Councillors Adam Carew and Sam Payne attended both meetings and argued strongly for the services to be retained.

Adam Carew who is also the new Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for East Hampshire said "East Hants has probably had as many cuts as it can take. This latest assault on vital bus services is going in exactly the wrong direction. Mr Cameron says he is worried about climate change and social inclusion but what his Conservatives are actually doing at local level is very different. To combat climate change and cut traffic congestion we are supposed to be encouraging a modal shift away from the car and onto public transport."

These cuts will affect another 390,000 passenger journeys across Hampshire and will see a substantial decline in weekend, off-peak and evening services.

The question for local Conservatives councillors, requires a simple answer; Do they support the year on year cuts to our local bus services ? Yes or No?

If the answer is 'NO' why aren't they doing anything to oppose them?

Cllr Sam Payne said "These cuts are a cut too far. Liberal Democrats have consistently opposed all bus cuts from the start. Hampshire is supposed to be a listening council but there is little evidence of that. If the last few years are anything to go by we can expect more cuts in the pipe line - only one thing remains certain - none of our bus routes are safe!"

Why is this happening?

The subsidies are being removed due to a multimillion pound overspend in the adult services budget which is causing cuts to buses, care homes, libraries, arts centres and other vital services across the County.

When Liberal Democrats warned the Tory run County Council of this financial mismanagement a few years back they were accused of scare mongering, now the results of this appalling financial mismanagement are plain to see.

Despite this, the Conservative run County Council has still managed to find over £40 million of tax payers money to make-over its council offices at Winchester.

The HCC Liberal Democrat Group has consistently opposed all these bus cuts from the start.

Today they were the only party present to make representation to oppose them.

There were NO verbal or written representations submitted by Conservative councillors across East Hampshire.

Who will pick up the tab?

Cllr Melville Kendal stated today that these cuts are not cuts at all. He claims all he is doing is reducing the County Council's subsidy, but he knows full well that these buses are not likely to survive as commercial services, which is why County have had to subsidise them in the first place.

He has made it quite clear that Parish, District Councils and Community Transport are welcome to come in and pick up the tab instead, but he is forgetting that bus transport is supposed to be the duty of County Council.

Timing and lack of consultation

The timing of these cuts is rather strange not only were they announced during the height of the holiday season, but very little time was given to consult.

These proposed cuts have not been discussed at East Hants Transport Forum which meets in October or East Hants District Council.

Cllr Carew also asked why the decisions to cut services could not be deferred until preliminary findings were released of the Hampshire County Council's own Transport in the Community Review Group (which is looking at the whole issue of bus services across Hampshire)? When challenged on this senior officers and the portfolio holder said that the group was dragging its feet - it has only recently been set up and is chaired by fellow Conservative Cllr Peter Hutcheson.

Districts Councils were apparently invited to pick up the bill for proposed cuts on the 13th July - Parish and Town councils were not apparently consulted.

The portfolio holder said that councils would now have 56 days notice before the cuts took effect which was ample time to decide whether they would pick up the tab. The problem is the decision to cut the services has already been made.

The services affected:

No 67 Petersfield - Cheriton - Winchester - (off-peak journeys cut back)

At the decision day, Councillor Sam Payne spoke against the withdrawal of four daytime journeys on the 67 route between Petersfield and Winchester. She said “This is the only bus service that runs continuously between Petersfield and Winchester, without it bus users will have to change half way through. It also seems unfair that this particular route had its funding cut as it had an unusually high passenger usage, it also had a much lower subsidy than other routes. If this is cut it will isolate our villages further cutting people of from services such as post offices and doctors surgeries.”

The executive member agreed that the case was well argued but decided that he would gamble that the route may have commercial viability - leaving the bus company to pick up the full cost of the service - its future remains uncertain.

No 72 Alton – Petersfield (weekday services cut back in school hols)

Cllr Sam Payne also made the case to retain the 72 which links Petersfield and Alton.

"Petersfield and Alton are not on the same rail network and the 72 provides a vital link between our two major towns and the rural communities in between. Both the 67 and 72 services stop at Petersfield train station which already has difficulties matching bus times to train schedules, the reduction of buses to this stop, will just make matters worse."

No 13 Alton – Whitehill - Liphook (weekday service cut back during school holidays)

No 18 Aldershot - Farnham - Bordon - Haslemere (weekday evening services cut after 19.15 hrs)

No 5 Basingstoke  - North Hampshire Hospital

Cllr Carew made the case for saving both these services. He said "Whitehill-Bordon is the second biggest town in East Hants and will soon be the first, effectively doubling in size. Despite this we are the only place to be picked out in the whole of Hampshire for an Accessibility pilot study due to residents inability to access a range of vital services. It is totally ludicrous that County Council are conducting this survey yet in the same breath are reducing our buses. We have adopted a Green Town Vision that promises better transport links, a vision that County have signed up to but still this has not prevented them cutting our bus services.

I am particularly worried about residents who rely on getting too and from work by bus between Bordon , Aldershot , Farnham and Haselmere as they will no longer be able to get back at night past 7.15pm".

The reduction of the 13 through Alton - Whitehill and Liphook is also important. This is a vital link between all 3 communities and it should not be run down, especially during our school holidays when so many of our young people want to travel to neighbouring towns to shop and meet friends.

Our town no longer has a railway but there are rail stations at Liphook and Alton. Unfortunately the Rail Link bus to Liphook no longer serves Whitehill Park (retirement park home site in Liphook Rd) so those without cars have to rely on the 13 bus to get to the station - now this service is being reduced so these cuts impact on elderly and retired people too.

No 5 is not directly accessible from any East Hants town but is just one of the 4/5 buses changes from Whitehill people need to make if they want to see friends and relatives in Basingstoke Hospital on a Sunday night.