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Bus service revisions

Update - 19 April 2011

Details of the first phase of bus service revisions due to start on Tuesday 31 May 2011 are now available.

Details of bus service changes

Update - 5 April 2011

Following negotiations with operators and responses received so far from parish councils and other interested parties, the bus service revisions summary has now been further amended and in some cases it has been possible to retain services previously scheduled for withdrawal. A copy of the revised summary is attached and where amendments have been made to the original document, these are now shown in capital letters. We are continuing to receive feedback and if there is further opportunity to amend the proposals within the financial constraints we have to work to, then we will of course do so.

Officers are now working on these proposals with a view to implement service changes over the next six months. Individual communities will be notified of the dates of the service changes as and when they occur, and certainly in advance of the changes taking place.

Bus service proposals (msexcel, 454Kb)

Overview

Over the next three years Warwickshire County Council will have to reduce it’s budget by up to £66 million across all of its services. This is due to a combination of national and local budget reductions and spending pressures.

The speed and magnitude of this financial challenge requires large scale reform. In the light of the requirement by Government every local authority has had to review all areas of spending. As a consequence, it is no longer possible for the County Council to continue subsidising bus services to the same extent as previous years.

The Council currently spends £2.9 million a year on financial support for bus services that would not be operated on a commercial basis by local bus service operators. It was decided at Full Council on 15 February 2011 to set a revised budget for 2011/12 of £1.6 million, a reduction of around 45%.

Following the decision taken at Full Council, officers are having to make substantial revisions to the passenger transport network to ensure that the level of financially supported local bus services provided meets the needs of as many people as possible, but remains within budget.

A summary indicating how individual communities are likely to be affected is displayed. However, it must be stressed that it is not possible to be precise at this stage as we have to embark on a programme of operator negotiations and in some cases, re-tendering of services. Due to the size and complexity of the exercise and the need for the County Council to meet its contractual commitments to existing service providers, this is likely to take up to six months before the revised bus network is in place.

Community transport, which costs the county council up to £200,000 a year to run, will be extended for another year through extra Government funding.