1,000 signatures reached
To: Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, and David Cameron, Prime Minister and MP for Witney.
Save our local bus services in Oxfordshire
DON’T CUT OUR BUSES!
We believe that Oxfordshire County Council's proposal to end local bus subsidies will have a devastating impact on our communities, particularly in villages where without a properly funded service many people will not be able to get to work, hospital, school or college, shop or socialise.
Cutting county wide bus subsidies will be:
- Bad for rural communities
- Bad for public health
- Bad for the local economy
- Bad for the environment
- Bad for transport infrastructure
- A false economy
We note that, despite being in the same political party, the head of the County Council and the Prime Minister (the MP for Witney) have not been able to agree on the need to cut front line services in Oxfordshire (Oxford Mail 11th November). We call on the Prime Minister's Office and the County Council to urgently resolve their differences and act now to protect our bus services.
We believe that Oxfordshire County Council's proposal to end local bus subsidies will have a devastating impact on our communities, particularly in villages where without a properly funded service many people will not be able to get to work, hospital, school or college, shop or socialise.
Cutting county wide bus subsidies will be:
- Bad for rural communities
- Bad for public health
- Bad for the local economy
- Bad for the environment
- Bad for transport infrastructure
- A false economy
We note that, despite being in the same political party, the head of the County Council and the Prime Minister (the MP for Witney) have not been able to agree on the need to cut front line services in Oxfordshire (Oxford Mail 11th November). We call on the Prime Minister's Office and the County Council to urgently resolve their differences and act now to protect our bus services.
Why is this important?
ALL SUBSIDISED bus routes in the county are set to lose their funding from Oxfordshire County Council under proposals approved in November 2015 by the Council.
The subsidies are paid to bus companies and community groups so they can run 118 bus routes, mainly in rural areas, that would otherwise not be commercially viable.
The bus network is vital to the health of local communities and especially important to vulnerable members of the community who use the network to access support and care and avoid social isolation.
These cuts are totally unacceptable and a false economy as they will have hidden costs in terms of additional social care and health spending to support those who currently use the bus service to access support and life opportunities.
The cuts also make a mockery of the County Council’s integrated transport plan and environmental targets.
We are calling on the Leader of the County Council Council and the Prime Minister, who is MP for Winey and who has in correspondence questioned whether the cuts to front line council services are necessary in Oxfordshire, to resolve their disagreement about council funding and withdraw these cuts proposals before the new County Council budget is agreed in February.
Deadline for completion January 12th (to be presented to the Council’s Transport Advisory Panel on the 14th January).
The subsidies are paid to bus companies and community groups so they can run 118 bus routes, mainly in rural areas, that would otherwise not be commercially viable.
The bus network is vital to the health of local communities and especially important to vulnerable members of the community who use the network to access support and care and avoid social isolation.
These cuts are totally unacceptable and a false economy as they will have hidden costs in terms of additional social care and health spending to support those who currently use the bus service to access support and life opportunities.
The cuts also make a mockery of the County Council’s integrated transport plan and environmental targets.
We are calling on the Leader of the County Council Council and the Prime Minister, who is MP for Winey and who has in correspondence questioned whether the cuts to front line council services are necessary in Oxfordshire, to resolve their disagreement about council funding and withdraw these cuts proposals before the new County Council budget is agreed in February.
Deadline for completion January 12th (to be presented to the Council’s Transport Advisory Panel on the 14th January).
How it will be delivered
WE HAVE PRESENTED THE PETITION TO THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY PANEL BUT PLEASE KEEP SIGNING UNTIL THE BUDGET VOTE IN FEBRUARY!
