Sheffield MP tells ‘ignorant’ Government to save essential bus services from cuts

Mr Betts told ministers the number 8, 27 and 655 bus routes were all either being axed or significantly cut, leaving residents in Mosborough, Woodhouse and Beighton without any service at all in some cases.

This includes no service for schoolchildren at Aston Academy, those travelling to Crystal Peaks, as well as thousands who use the buses for commuting, attending hospital appointments or meeting up with friends and relatives.

The cuts are part of wider plans to lose up to a third of bus services across the region.

Mr Betts said areas like his constituency – which have less car ownership than more affluent parts – will be hardest hit.

During a House of Commons debate, he said: “Will the [transport] minister reflect on the fact the previous prime minister told us you wouldn’t need a timetable – the service will be so good people will be able to walk to the bus stop and get on a bus. You don’t need a timetable for many of these bus routes now because there aren’t any buses running on them.

“Will the minister urgently agree to meet with the mayor and MPs in South Yorkshire to discuss these cuts and how additional Government funding can save these essential services?”

Lucy Frazer, minister of state for transport, replied: “I will of course ask the minister responsible for buses, Baroness Vere. I will pass on [your] request, I’m sure she will consider that.

“I would just like to point out the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority received £1.6 million from the LTA recovery funding from April to December of this year.”

Following the debate, Mr Betts said the region has some funding to cover cut routes but nowhere near enough to protect the many services affected.

He added: “These cuts to buses in my constituency are happening right now, preventing my constituents commuting to work, getting to school or travelling to attend hospital appointments. I simply cannot believe the Government are ignorant of the damage they are causing by doing this, and instead can only accept they do not care.

MORE TRANSPORT: South Yorkshire trams to be brought back into public control“Worse still is we will see further cuts to bus services in the lead up to March with up to a third of all routes being axed. This is not the end, only the beginning of the brutal cuts in public transport we are about to experience. Gone are the days of managed decline by this Government, we are now in absolute free fall.“These sorts of services aren’t negotiable, they are necessary for people’s education, health and work opportunities. Allowing them to be cut does not just cause a minor inconvenience, it affects people’s opportunities and the ability of the local economy to grow.”