Andrew Murrison, MP for South West Wiltshire, has written to Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANES) asking them to justify their decision to cut funding to rural bus services. BANES recently cut funding to bus service which were funded by themselves and Wiltshire Council on a 50:50 basis. These services include the 94 Trowbridge to Bath bus which transports school children and elderly resident between Bath and rural locations in Wiltshire.
The cuts come despite BANES' inclusion in the West England Combined Authority’s new Bus Service Improvement Plan, which was given over £100m from the Government last year. Wiltshire Council received no Bus Service Improvement Funding in 2022 and was only allocated £2.1 million BSIP+ funding which is designed to support existing services.
Andrew said;
‘Whether it is shunting heavy traffic onto our doorsteps by closing the A36 or unilaterally withdrawing funding for shared bus services, its the same old story: wealthy, Lib Dem controlled, Bath acts with total disregard for its neighbours and for people reliant on public transport to get to work and access services in the city.
"The decision to withdraw funding from rural bus services jeopardises the 94 Trowbridge to Bath bus, on which school children and the elderly rely, and puts Wiltshire Council in the position of having to subsidise Bath’s transport services. There is no justification for this. I urge BANES to reconsider.