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| David Morris |
Following up on our stories about the proposals from Lancashire County Council to cut subsidies to all night buses across the County, Morecambe and Lunsedale MP David Morris has now confirmed he is also backing campaigns to save the vital services.
“I strongly object to these proposals and have already written a letter to the County Council urging them to reconsider,” he says. “As the decision is the sole responsibility of the County Council I would urge [voters] to also contact your County Councillor, to also oppose this decision, as your elected representatives on County Council matters.
“Further to this I have also started a petition, which I will be sending to the County Council and will also be presenting to Parliament.”
David’s petition is here: www.ipetitions.com/petition/bus-petition
“Please also encourage as many of your friends and neighbours to sign the petition,” he urges his constituents. “If they do not have access to the internet please ask them to call my constituency office to register their support.”
80 per cent of bus services in Lancashire are run by private companies
on a commercial basis because they are profitable. The remaining 20 per
cent are not commercially viable and are currently subsidised by around
£8m from the county council each year.
The proposal would see subsides withdrawn from 72 evening and Sunday services from 18th May 2014. Bus services to Freehold, the Ridge the Marsh and Vale
estates in Lancaster and Skerton, Heysham, Morecambe, Carnforth, Hest
Bank Railway Station, Bolton-le-Sands
and Overton are among those that would be lost if the plan goes ahead.
“This
will lead to greater car use and an inability to travel
at those times for anyone who does not have a car, so particularly the
young, the old and the poor,” argues Caton resident Ursula Gallie, who has launced an online petition to try to save the Kirkby Lonsdale service.
The county council’s budget will be decided at a meeting of the Full Council on 20th February.
• You can view the Lancashire County Council consultation documents on the proposed bus cuts and the full list of
services affected at www.lancashire.gov.uk/haveyoursay and respond on
the website. You can also email responses to
lcc.bus.services@lancashire.gov.uk or by post to Bus and Supported
Transport Manager, Lancashire County Council, Room D3, PO Box 100,
County Hall, Preston, PR1 0LD. The closing date for responses is Friday
17th January 2014
Other Petitions
• Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Morecambe and Lunesdale Amina Lone’s 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
• Ursula Gallie’s online petition to try to save the Kirkby Lonsdale bus service