Moorlands Connect Service

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1^st December 2017

Dear Clerk to the Parish Council,

The Staffordshire County Council review of bus services is now complete and the Council plans to implement Option1 set out in their consultation as 47% of responses favoured this Option.

You should know that 53% of those responding therefore voted for Options 2-4 – all of which contain Moorlands Connect

Option 1 does NOT include Moorlands Connect and therefore it is likely that the service will cease on 31 March 2018.

This decision has not yet been confirmed as the opposition group on the County Council has ‘called in‘ the decision for further scrutiny.  This will be completed on 5 December but it is thought that the original decision (Option 1) will stand.

You have told us how important this service is to you, so Ashbourne Community Transport (ACT) has been in discussion with the Council to explore ways in which the service can be retained.   We have put forward a number of options, but we do not know if any of these will be considered favourably.

Unlike other bus companies, ACT is a charity set up to provide transport for those who do not have access to mainstream public transport services and all our funds are used to provide services to those communities who need them.

If you want to retain the service please contact your local County Councillor, Gill Heath and your District and Parish Councillors again to express your view.  You could also contact the Public Transport team at Staffordshire County Council, 1 Staffordshire Place, Stafford, ST16 2LP.

We understand that six local MPs have written to the Council expressing concern about the loss of rural bus services and asking the Council to reconsider. Your view could help strengthen their case.

Ashbourne Community Transport / Connect Services

Kind regards,

Iris Raile

Operations Business Coordinator

ACT / Connect Services

01335 342951

Dear Colleague,

An eight week public consultation on how best to spend Staffordshire County Council’s £1.3m annual bus subsidy has resulted in the option which safeguards most journeys.

The County Council’s Cabinet has today also agreed to work with bus operators, district and borough councils, parish councils and local community groups to explore options for supporting some of the journeys which will no longer be funded by the authority from April 2018.

While the vast majority of bus journeys in Staffordshire are currently made without any subsidy from the County Council, some journeys are still costing taxpayers more than £10 every time someone gets on board. As the County Council needs to spend a record £300m on care this year alone, we need to make sure that every penny of taxpayers’ money is working its hardest.  The option chosen means that most trips can still be made at the lowest average cost to taxpayers.

More than 96 per cent of all bus journeys currently made in Staffordshire will still be able to be made.  In cases where journeys will no longer be subsidised, such as the Dial-A-Ride, we want to work with local bus operators, local councils and communities to see which are the most important to them and look at helping them explore other options for funding.

Further details of the approved proposal can be found at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/busreview.  This details only journeys which will continue to be subsidised by the county council.

Any changes to bus timetables will be implemented by bus operators from April 2018. The County Council is not able to confirm changes to specific routes which will no longer be subsidised at this stage. Details of any changes will be finalised and published by bus operators once known.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Deaville

Cabinet Member for Commercial