A CONTROVERSIAL decision to cut funding for bus services in North Yorkshire has been postponed.

The county council is reducing its bus subsidy by 25 per cent, equivalent to £1.1m a year, following Government cuts and is increasing its charges for post-16 home to school and college transport.

It currently spends £4.4m a year subsidising 20 per cent of journeys that are not commercially viable.

North Yorkshire is particularly badly affected with a population spread over a large area and a large elderly population. The issue of where to bring down the axe on its bus service funding has brought impassioned pleas from councillors and the public to save particular services.

Concerns have been expressed on all sides over the potential impact on vulnerable and elderly residents in both rural and more urban areas and the resulting isolation and loneliness it could lead to.

More than 1,600 have protested over the cuts, with 15 petitions and 29 letters from MPs sent to the council.

The county council’s executive was due to take a decision on the issue on Tuesday, January 7. Although the consultation is now over, the council has put back the decision due to difficulties in providing the public with access to the report papers for the meeting via its website over Christmas.

The council is due to give a new date early this week  (Monday, January 6) for when the executive will make a decision.

Many councillors have reported considerable support among bus pass holders to make voluntary contributions rather than lose their bus services altogether.

But a meeting of the county council’s transport overview and scrutiny committee in December heard it was not legally possible for the council to allow that, as it was Government policy to provide free bus passes for older people.

Speaking yesterday (Sunday, January 5) County Councillor Shelagh Marshall, chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Older People’s Forum, said she hoped to bring up the issue at a cross-party meeting on Ageing and Older People in Westminster in spring.

She said it was key to combating isolation.

She said: “There’s another piece of research just been carried out which looks at the impact on the wellbeing of older people if they can’t get out.

"It’s an issue getting recognised nationally - the need for older people to be able to keep active and not cost the health service a lot of money and a bus service is key to that.”