A county council in East Anglia has announced that public transport in rural regions will suffer further attacks following government spending cuts; it was revealed today that bus and ferry services in Norfolk will endure £500,000 cuts over the next year as the local council pulls more money out of public transport.

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Norfolk County Council claimed the cutbacks reflect “intense pressure on council spending.” The county council's rural transport budget has been slashed by £4.5m. The withdrawal of funding could come into effect from 12 April 2012.

Perhaps more worryingly for rural residents in Norfolk, the County Council has to cut £700,000 from its rural transport budget in all; a further £200,000 of support will have to be withdrawn in 2013-14. The council needs to find overall savings of nearly £75m over the next two years.

Graham Plant, Cabinet member for planning and transportation said, "We know that rural buses can be a lifeline to the communities they serve, which is why earlier this year we scaled back the savings from £1m to £700,000 over two years.”

The council said it had taken a number of factors into account in making its decision, including, the availability of alternative public transport, passenger numbers, car ownership levels, age range, income levels and social needs.

However, the lack of public transport, which has been identified as one of the issues contributing to rural exclusion and preventing young people in particular from finding work in rural regions, will nevertheless prove a blow to many in Norfolk.

In November last year, the Countryside Alliance commissioned research which revealed rural residents who travel to work spend around £17 more each week on their commute than urbanites. The lobbying organisation claimed that the “viability of rural businesses and communities is being threatened by spiralling costs.”

In December, one rural employment advisor told Farming Online that lack of public transport options or support in the form of transport schemes, such as Wheels to Work was limiting young people's ability to find work in rural regions, particularly in agriculture.

Jason Torrance, Policy Director at sustainable transport charity Sustrans, commented on the announcement, “It is important that Britain’s public transport system is fair, providing an accessible and affordable service for all, no matter where people live. Cuts to rural transport result in a wide range of difficulties for people living in rural communities. If public transport is cut, people without cars are stranded. Transport poverty is a very real situation for many people living outside towns and cities and must be confronted by decision makers both locally and nationally.

 

“Where traditional bus services may no longer be suitable, or viable, a more demand-led service must be offered.  Councils should look to invest in a range of  public transport solutions could include a bus/taxi hybrid with pre-booking, better provision of rural car clubs and wider investment in walking and cycling to ensure people in rural communities have the same choices as those in urban areas.”

In Wales, bus operators and local councils have criticised the Welsh Government over cuts to rural bus services. The Welsh government will give bus companies and councils less than three months notice before reducing financial support. Their English counterparts were given 18 months to deal with 20 per cent cuts, but the Welsh Government has yet to reveal the amount by which support will be reduced.

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