COMMUNITIES fear their new year cheer will be turned upside-down as vital bus services are slashed across the county this weekend.

From tomorrow controversial cuts to weekend and evening bus services in Hampshire will come into force as the county’s ruling authority looks to slash its budget as central government funding dries up.

The £1.2m cost-cutting plans were rubberstamped in October as Councillor Sean Woodward, Hampshire County Council’s transport chief, said the authority is having to look “very closely” at how different services are funded.

The changes will see services altered in Southampton, the New Forest, Romsey, Fareham and Winchester.

But some sections of the community have been left angered by the decision, claiming they will be left “cut off” without the current bus timetable.

Alice Pink, 54, of Pundle Green, Bartley, told the Daily Echo she and her two sons Silas and Gideon rely on the T3, T4, and 11 services between Totton and Cadnam.

Funding for these services will be withdrawn due to low passenger numbers, which will see fewer than 11 buses throughout the week, and T3 and T4 services being reduced to three days a week to reflect passenger use.

Daily Echo:

Michael and Alice Pink, with sons Gideon and Silas, are upset about the bus service cuts

Mrs Pink, whose sons Silas, 20, and Gideon, 18, have learning difficulties, said fewer buses will hit the family hard.

She said: “I have two sons with learning difficulties.

They will never be able to get a driving licence.

“One of my sons will use the bus a lot in the future for his independence, while my other son is using his bus pass every week.

“The nearest bus stop for us would be to walk down to the Morrisons supermarket, but I think there will be a lot of accidents on that main road – there is no pavement on the side.

“From what I can gather, when Margaret Thatcher privatised the bus services rural bus services would be kept as they are, but it’s being chipped away a bit more.”

Mrs Pink said she is planning to raise the issue with the Local Ombudsman, claiming people with bus passes were not informed over timetable changes.

She added: “It’s sad. I know it doesn’t pay for itself but this is why local authorities have to finance it.

“The disabled and the elderly should have access to bus services.”

Councillor John Biddlecombe, chairman of Littleton and Harestock Parish Council, fears the elderly people in his community will become isolated with less bus services.

He said: “Out of school term time we are down to one bus in the morning and one in the afternoon.

“When you look at the times the buses get into Winchester, they promptly turn around and go back out again.

“From where we are in Littleton, the nearest supermarket is in Weeke, which the elderly use for shopping. They can catch a bus going in but have 23 minutes before they have to go back again.

“The elderly people in the village, or those who cannot drive, don’t know what to do at the moment.

“It’s just isolating people in the village.

“The parish council held an informal meeting with some of the elderly people in the village, and they are extremely concerned.

“We are not naive enough to think that bus cuts were not going to be made but quite frankly we are disappointed with the county council because they carried out a consultation but they didn’t tell us about particular timings.”

It’s not just the elderly who are going to be affected.

Councillor Anne Weir, from Winchester City Council, said young people who are going to work in Winchester will be hit by the changes, which could have a knock-on effect to the city’s nighttime economy.

She said: “The concerns I have voiced are in particular the changing times for evening services. I think this will impact young people and the north Winchester area.

“It’s people getting to and from work to help the evening economy that really need this service. I know of people that have to pay expensive taxi fares.

“It will penalise people who can least afford it.

“Winchester is trying to build its evening economy – it’s an important part of what we have to offer.

“I am a councillor for Winchester City Council and I think looking at the long term we have really got to get our heads together and review how we can meet our needs for public transport in the city.”

Miles Grindey, the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Fareham, said the bus cuts will disrupt service users in the Fareham, Botley, Warsash and Whiteley areas.

He said: “What I feel, as someone who grew up in Warsash, is that it is just a big war against people who have put faith in these politicians to provide them with services they pay council tax for. I had to find out about the changes by talking to residents’ associations. People have come up to me all the time about the bus cuts.”

Chris Dyson, from Action for Blind People, said cuts to bus services will pose a “real risk” that the most vulnerable groups in the community will be left “isolated”.

He added: “For this reason, we encourage the service provider to think very carefully in planning any reduction to services.”

Daily Echo: Councillor Sean Woodward

Cllr Sean Woodward

HAMPSHIRE’S transport boss has urged communities to check newly released bus timetables ahead of new services coming in to force on Sunday.

Cllr Sean Woodward, Hampshire County Council’s transport chief, said the authority was forced to look at how services are funded as government grants are slashed.

The council’s funding for public and community transport accounts for 15 per cent of bus journeys in Hampshire, and says it agreed to changes in the subsidies it pays to bus operators to support services that are not commercially viable.

Cllr Woodward said: “Hampshire County Council’s grant from government has been halved over the past five years and we are having to look very closely at how different services are funded.

“The money we pay bus operators to prop up bus services which they would not run without extra funding has been no exception.

“We have asked Hampshire residents what the most important of these subsidised services
are and have focussed the funding we have for public transport subsidies accordingly – those
that are in the day time and on week days.

“The bus operators have now released their timetables for the new year which include changes to some of these services which are not commercially viable to run without subsidy, and I would urge passengers to check these before setting out on their journeys.”

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