Councillors call for an urgent review of Stagecoach's bus services

At a full council meeting on December 11, the borough’s deputy Labour group leader Councillor Paul Harvey, and Labour and South Ham ward member Cllr Colin Regan put forward a motion calling for the Cabinet member for partnerships, Cllr Cathy Osselton, to meet with representatives from bus operator Stagecoach as soon as possible.

The operator has made a series of cuts to the bus network across the borough since February and is planning to cut the Berg Estate from the Jazz 11 route in January.

Stagecoach managing director Andrew Dyer attended a meeting of the borough council’s scrutiny committee in June and promised to undertake a review of commercial services this year.

However, this review has now been delayed following the announcement of the Hampshire County Council subsidised transport review.

Cllr Harvey told the council meeting: “We have had stories of people who lost their jobs because of the changes due to the fact they were not able to get to work, and there were people walking across the town in the early hours of the morning.

“He (Andrew Dyer) is now saying the review will not take place until the back end of next year. We want the council to make a strong representation to Stage-coach. We want a review, and doing that at the back end of next year is not good enough.”

Cllr Regan added: “If you can’t supply a bus service two miles from the town, there is something wrong. We need a review and we need to get services back to pre-February 2014.”

The motion was carried after 29 councillors voted in favour, 26 voted against and UKIP councillor Stephen West abstained.

Following the meeting, Mr Dyer told The Gazette: “I am always very happy to talk to Cllr Osselton about the bus services.

“I am not able to promise a date for the review until we have seen what effect the January changes have. I don’t think it is in the best interest of the customers to make changes one after another.”