GOVERNMENT should give local authorities more powers over the bus network, a council urged last night, October 3. 

At a meeting of Weston Town Council, members voted for a motion brought by Labour councillors to demand retaining bus routes readied for the axe and urged North Somerset Council to work for a solution to ensure communities are not 'left behind' by the proposals. 

First Bus announced in August that two major routes in Weston will face the chop on Sunday, October 9, due to driver shortages and low passenger numbers.

These routes are the X5 (Weston to Bristol, serving Clevedon and Portishead) and the 126 Mendip Xplorer (Weston to Wells, serving Locking, Banwell, Sandford and Winscombe).

The X5 route avoided a complete cut following council pressure but its route was reduced. It will no longer serve Portishead to Bristol, and in a 'devastating blow for communities' in Locking Castle, said ward councillor Ciarán Cronnelly, residents will face no access to any buses.

He said: "From this week, residents will be left stranded, unable to get to work and unable to get to the GP.

"We must send a clear message to First Bus and North Somerset Council that we are not happy with these cuts and we need solutions to stop these communities from getting isolated.

"The communication and public engagement from First has been poor. They promised engagement, and they promised responses to the communities concerns, but they’ve ghosted everybody.

"This, alongside the decision to cut routes, isn’t acceptable and this is why as a town council I feel we should make it clear to the operator, our concern and anger about these cuts."

The motion, submitted by Cllr Helen Thornton and Cllr Catherine Gibbons, also demanded First Bus retain the 126.

Somerset County Council agreed to subsidise part of the 126 network which will see its route from Wells to Axbridge conserved.

Cllr Cronnelly added: "North Somerset Council should do the same, and as a town council we should make this expectation clear."

But the Labour Party was accused of 'electioneering' by Liberal Democrat councillors who said the motion 'achieves publicity but resolves nothing'.

Cllr John Crockford-Hawley said: "Both councils must do everything possible to improve local public transport but, since neither authority has the legal power to take action or compel change, we remain an impotent sounding board. 

"The entire bus industry is in chaos for several reasons, not all of which are the fault of operators, but they are all commercial enterprises beholden to economic challenges.

"If people don't catch the bus, the service sinks. We need a national discussion on the best way to organise our entire transport operations."

The motion also called for the Department for Transport (DfT) to introduce a £2 cap on fares earlier and on a permanent basis.

The scheme was announced by government earlier this month and will use £60million to help bus operators bring in the cap from January to March next year.