REVEALED: Daventry District to lose five bus routes next month after council funding cut

Five bus routes serving the Daventry area will cease to run next month after the county council pulled the funding plug on public transport subsidies.
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Back in March, the authority rubber-stamped plans to remove all of the funding it provides to help prop up lesser-travelled bus services in the county.

The move immediately prompted transport companies to consider cancelling services altogether.

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Northamptonshire County Council has now revealed that five routes serving Daventry District will cease altogether from July 22 this year.

Many bus services have already been reduced or altered as a result of the subsidy cut.

A spokesman for the authority said: “Faced with an unprecedented increase in demand for council services and reductions in funding, tough decisions are needed in order to deliver a balanced budget.

“We have had no choice but to make the difficult decision to review funding of all non-statutory services.

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“This includes removing all money paid to support a number of bus routes across Northamptonshire.”

Labour's shadow finance cabinet member Councillor Mick Scrimshaw (Lab, Northall) said the move would hit 'vulnerable' people the hardest.

He said: "The truth is the council has been cutting back on subsidies for a number of years now. They've got to the stage where they have said we are not going to pay anything at all.

"But they will hit some of the most vulnerable people.

"People who don't have access to cars and elderly people will be disproportionately hit.

"It's such a broad brush approach.

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"What about talking to the bus companies and re-negotiating? If there is a route running four or six times a day, who don't we run it once a day? At least that way, some sort of service would be retained.

"Instead this is just a simple stroke of the pen on a balance sheet."

As well as the five bus routes, the entire Kier MG CountryConnect service in all areas has been withdrawn.

The list of Daventry services affected by the county council subsidy withdrawal from July 22, 2018:

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Centrebus 60: between Northampton, Guilsborough and Welford (Monday to Saturday) Service withdrawn. (replacement with a reduced level of service under review)

Centrebus 61: between Coton, East Haddon, Church Brampton and Northampton (Thursday only) Service withdrawn.

Centrebus 62: between Scaldwell, Brixworth and Northampton (Tuesday and Friday only) Service withdrawn.

Centrebus 63: between Norton, The Bringtons, Northampton (Monday, Wednesday and Saturday only) Service withdrawn.

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Stagecoach 3A: between Long Lawford, Rugby, DIRFT and Yelvertoft (Monday to Friday) Route and timetable revised - DIRFT, Crick, West Haddon and Yelvertoft are no longer served (replacement on Service 96 under review)

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