Liberal Democrats on Cornwall Council have welcomed the announcement by the Conservative-led authority that it will not be cutting bus routes which are relied on by local residents to get to work, college and to see friends and family. The Council had threatened that it would be cutting the support given to subsidised routes and that more than a quarter of supported routes would disappear in the next two months.
“We are delighted that the Conservatives have performed a u-turn and have guaranteed the future of the current bus network for the next two years,” said Cllr Jeremy Rowe, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Cornwall Council. “But we are concerned that there is no certainty for the network beyond the next election and no plan for how the network can be expanded.”
“This u-turn has only come about because of the huge opposition from local communities and the campaign led by Cornwall Liberal Democrats. We highlighted the damage that the original proposal would do to local communities and the unfair criteria by which the potential cuts were selected.”
“But the fact that the Conservatives could have considered such a massive cut to the bus network shows that their priorities are all wrong. They simply do not understand that buses are essential for people to get to work or to college, to see family and friends or even to get to hospital. They are out of touch with the needs of the people of Cornwall.”
“Cornwall Liberal Democrats would guarantee that we won’t cut any supported local bus routes in Cornwall and we will be working with local communities to identify how to expand the network. Cornwall Council has a great vision for better local transport, but the current administration seems determined to ignore that vision. We need a vision for the future that means residents can plan beyond another crisis in two years time.”
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