"Time to deliver the bus services"

12.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 19th Oct 2006

Stagecoach bus in priority Bus Lane

Liberal Democrats have criticised the Conservative County Council for reducing expenditure and cutting bus services.

Councillor Jane Hollis, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Transport, said:

"We are pleased to see the introduction of the Real Time Passenger Transport Information System in Northampton Town Centre, the bus priority measures, and the improved access at bus stops."

"However we are conscious that these measures are of little use to many of our County residents who do not have easy access to bus services because they are neither frequent, nor at the times that they require to travel."

"It is a known fact that Northamptonshire County Council has one of the worst records in the country for subsidising public transport travel, and we are fifth from bottom in the league table of local authorities' expenditure on public transport subsidies."

"Traffic growth in Northamptonshire is substantial. Since 1997 traffic growth has been 20.1% - the fifth highest in the country. Our traffic growth is almost twice that of the national average, therefore we are concerned that the budget last year reduced expenditure on public transport services at a time when there is need for it to increase to cope with the population growth"

We also recognise that our Local Transport Plan contains some very sound and positive public transport initiatives for the years ahead. We are concerned however about the commitment from the current Conservative Administration to implement these, and we look forward in anticipation to see whether the proposals to increase spending on public transport services next year by £990 thousand pounds remain in the budget, or whether the administration removes them. This will be the test for the Conservative Administration as to their commitment to public transport, the environment, and climate change."