AS Hampshire County Council consults on potential changes to public transport, members of the Basingstoke Labour Group have made a call for these proposals to be rejected.

At a meeting of the full council on Thursday, 19, July a motion put forward by Brighton Hill South ward councillor Andy McCormick looked for support from members to help save bus services in the borough.

Cllr McCormick said that if the plans put forward by the county council were to go ahead it would affect the number 4, 12, 14, 15 and 74 bus services which run in the borough.

He said: “How can we be talking about cuts to bus services in Hampshire when passenger numbers are up 20 per cent? And the biggest of these increases will be in Basingstoke, and it will reflect other parts of the south east such as Reading, Brighton and London.

“Maybe it’s time to look at a new bus operator. We won’t have that choice while we are still reliant on Hampshire. For them, it’s Stagecoach or Stagecoach.”

Another concern raised was the timing of the actual consultation.

Deputy leader of the Basingstoke Labour Group, Cllr Michael Westbrook added: “While some of us might already be off planning our summer holidays, but the time we return to this council in October the consultation will be over, and the last bus might have already left the station.”

However, cabinet member for communities and community safety, Cllr Simon Bound, said that the facts Cllr McCormick was presenting to the council were not entirely accurate.

Cllr Bound said: “No change in the services in being mention in the consultation.”

He added: “We are all aware of the issues facing the county council at the moment. Who knows, we might be in a position where we are running bus routes in our borough.”

The motion put forward by Cllr McCormick was rejected.

The county council is also looking at changes to Old Persons Bus Passes.

To find out more about the consultation go to hants.gov.uk/aboutthecouncil/haveyoursay/consultations/publictransportandstreetlighting.