Rural bus services to be investigated by West Suffolk Council’s overview and scrutiny committee

Members of West Suffolk’s overview and scrutiny met yesterday evening to discuss proposals for an investigation into the ‘dramatic reduction’ of rural bus services and its impacts on residents.

The investigation follows the creation of a parish council task force looking for ways to save bus services connecting Diss to Bury St Edmunds, due to be axed by December 27.

Cllr Andrew Smith, who suggested the review, said: “[Rural communities] deserve some services that can reduce the possibility of rural isolation for some people and some families who haven’t got access to a car.”

The task force he is a part of followed an announcement from Simonds Buses, recently bought by Vectare, it would drop its 337 and 338 routes, now labelled 73 and 70A, due to a lack of financial viability.

Cllr Beccy Hopfensperger, who has led campaigning in Great Barton, said: “The scoping meeting at tonight’s overview and scrutiny meeting is a subject very close to my heart, is important and something I feel very passionate about.

“I was told of scenarios where children were turning up late or having to arrange alternative last-minute lifts to school, people were having to rely on more expensive provisions to access the services they needed.

“People relied on these services to prevent rural isolation, sometimes using it on a daily basis to get out of the house and travel into town to grab a coffee.”

The committee will report its findings and any recommendations to the council’s cabinet members at its next meeting on December 16.

Cllr Smith said although ‘all options are on the table’, some recommendations could include improved communications and looking at how other districts were dealing with rural bus issues.

As it stands, rural bus networks are mostly either subsidised by the county council or provided on a purely commercial basis by bus companies.

Cllr Smith said he hoped recommendations could be taken on board by the district council cabinet members when Cllr Sarah Broughton, the committee chairperson, presents the findings.

Cllr Hopfensperger added: “We need to think creatively, lobby the Government for more funding, especially for rural areas, and understand how we can find solutions to better serve our communities.

“It’s not about holding people to account it’s about how we work together, understand what solutions are available and create solutions. “