Passenger fears over council’s bus cut plan
EVENING and Sunday buses which are subsidised by the council will be stopped under plans due to go before Cabinet.
The council subsidises bus services which are not considered profitable by bus companies.
But the Express revealed earlier this year the council’s plans to stop subsidising evening and Sunday services in a bid to save £1.6million.
The council ran a public consultation and has now proposed to go ahead with the cuts. The Cabinet is due to make its recommendation on the plan at a meeting this week.
The latest plan does, however, include a proposal to tender bus companies to run some evening services, including the Number 38 bus from Macclesfield to Crewe.
Residents at a meeting of the environment and regeneration scrutiny committee at Macclesfield Town Hall this week warned councillors the plans would leave vulnerable residents stranded.
One Macclesfield resident said: “Local bus services are vital for people to travel to work, to go shopping to go to Leighton Hos- pital to visit loved ones and more.
“This council hasn’t realised the huge devastating impact they would have on communities if they were to go through.”
Nearly 4,000 people took part in the public consultation - with many fearing the proposed cuts would cut off access to hospital and doctors’ appointments and could cost some people their jobs if they are unable to get to work.
A report to next week’s cabinet meeting says the decision to keep some evening services going came as a result of the consultation. The report states the saving to the council is now expected to be in the region of £1m, following the response to the consulta- tion.
Cuts to Sunday services will go ahead, after the impacts were identified to be less, the report states.
Coun Paul Bates, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for finance and communities, said: “Changing the way services operate is always a very complex issue. The council has weighed up the needs of all service users after our in-depth consultation.
“We have tried to strike the best possible balance between making savings and protecting vital services for residents.”
Any changes to services would not take place before April 2018.
The cabinet is expected to make a decision on Tuesday (November 7).