Conservatives Facing Two Ways Over Bus Cuts (South West Surrey Liberal Democrats)

South West Surrey Liberal Democrats <info@swsurreylibdems.org.uk>

Conservatives Facing Two Ways Over Bus Cuts

October 30, 2003 12:00 AM

Proposed cuts to bus services in South West Surrey have caused a rift amongst local Conservatives.

Extracts from a private letter by SW Surrey Conservative Spokesman Jeremy Hunt to Councillor Nick Skellet, the Tory leader of Surrey County Council, have come in to the hands of the Liberal Democrats and makes for interesting reading.

In this letter, Mr Hunt asks that any decision about bus cuts be delayed because they are happening at "such a sensitive time politically." He also suggests that delaying a decision until January would provide "breathing space" so the decision can be better explained.

If the current plans were to come into force, Conservative-run Surrey County Council would slash evening and weekend services across the area. Routes affected would be 18 (Aldershot-Farnham-Haslemere), 19 (Haslemere-Churt-Farnham), 46 (Guildford-Godalming) and 71 (Guildford-Godalming-Haslemere).

Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesman for SW Surrey, Simon Cordon, is currently raising a petition across the area calling for the cuts to be abandoned and greater investment put in to the services.

He is disgusted by this latest development, saying:

"Surrey's Conservatives, based up at Kingston, too often forget the needs of our communities. I am confident that our petition will show massive support for these important evening and weekend services. It is deeply cynical, in fact wicked, that local Conservatives are asking for breathing space for political ends. These cuts should not go ahead, now or in January. We need more buses, especially through our villages, not less.

"The Conservatives are saying one thing locally but doing another at County Hall. This is disgraceful. These bus routes should be saved, not because of political sensitivity, but because hundreds of people rely on these buses in the evenings and at the weekends as the only way to get about."