Lancaster MP Eric Ollerenshaw

It would seem that both side of the political divide are taking their own steps to keep the issue of night bus cuts in Lancashire in the public eye as protest mounts over the proposal from the Labour-led County Council.

Yesterday, the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Morecambe and Lunesdale Amina Lone launched a petition on change.org, laying the blame for the proposed bus cuts at the door of government for its concerted and savage cuts on local council funding, and called on Eric Pickles – Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government,  to Protect Bus Services to Rural Communities in Morecambe and Lunesdale.

Even though Labour councillors agree the proposed cuts (the subject of a consultation until Friday) will harm isolated communities and the most vulnerable in our area, it would appear that at least some of them will still vote for the cuts on 20th February, arguing they have no choice in the matter and even though such a decision would contradict Labour’s national stance on supporting public transport initiatives.

Meanwhile, Lancaster’s Conservative MP Eric Ollerenshaw has issued the following statement about the proposals in response to a petition to save the Kirby Lonsdale bus services, which we re-publish here in full.

As
you will probably know from the local media, I am against the County
Council’s plans to cut back on the bus services they support as it will
have an extremely negative and damaging impact on our rural areas and
some of the estates in and around Lancaster. I believe that this issue
is so important to our local communities that I have spoken in
Parliament to the Secretary of State for Transport on this issue on
December 19th. You can read more about my position on the matter on my
website at
http://www.lancasterandfleetwoodconservatives.com/2013/12/eric-ollerenshaw-fights-million-cuts-to-lancashire-bus-services/.

In addition I am lobbying the Council to change their minds and will
continue to do all I can to make sure these cuts do not go ahead. With
the County Council effectively being a ‘hung Council’ this measure can
be defeated.

I note that the petition is targeted at the Council Chief Executive
and myself and, whilst I welcome the petition and knowing just how many
people oppose the Council’s plans, I am encouraging anyone who doesn’t
want these proposals to go ahead to lobby their local County Councillors
as it will be they who make the final decision on this matter. To be
clear: these cuts are proposed by the County Council and it is the
County Councillors who have the final say as to whether to go ahead with
them or not. As an MP I can lobby them and try to make them change
their minds but I do not have a vote in the Council Chamber.

I have met with the Conservative Group on the County Council and I
know that they have already stated that they will be voting against
these proposals. I do not know how other County Council Groups or
Independent County Councillors plan to vote at this stage but if you
wish to contact them their details can be found online at
www.lancashire.gov.uk

You can also put in your own formal objection to this proposal by
contacting Lancashire County Council by email
lcc.bus.services@lancashire.gov.uk or write to:

Bus & Supported Transport Manager

Lancashire County Council

Room D3, PO Box 100

County Hall, Preston

PR1 0LD

I would advise also specifically contacting the Leader of the County
Council, County Councillor Jennifer Mein and the Cabinet member for
Transport, County Councillor John Fillis, to ensure your voice on this
issue is heard.

In the mean time, I will continue to do all I can to try to make sure
the County Council does not press ahead with these cuts to our local
bus services.

For those of you who have signed the petition but do not live in
Lancaster and Fleetwood you may also wish to contact your own MP. You
can find their contact details here:
http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps. Whilst it remains
the case MPs will not have a vote on the Council’s proposals they can
still bring pressure to bear.

Once again thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Yours faithfully

Eric Ollerenshaw

Member of Parliament for Lancaster and Fleetwood. 

• The County Council’s Consultation on the plan to cut Lancashire bus services is here

• Ursula Gallie’s petition calling on the County Council to drop its proposal
here: http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/save-the-lune-villager-evening-sunday-buses-lancaster-kirkby-lonsdale-save-the-evening-and-sunday-bus-services-running-between-lancaster-and-kirkby-lonsdale#share

• Campaign for Better Transport “Save Our Buses” Camapign 

• View the Campaign for Better Transport’s interactive bus cuts map
which makes transparent the extent of the problem of local authority funding
cuts to buses. This map is a crowd sourcing project, which means the CBT are
asking you to help us track bus cuts 

County Council documents on affected services (PDF links)

Amina LoneBusesEric Ollerenshaw MPLabour PartyLancashire County CouncilPublic Transport cuts
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