Keane Duncan Archives - Page 14 of 18

Trial bus service costs North Yorkshire taxpayers £4 more per journey to subsidise

An “innovative” bus service in North Yorkshire is costing taxpayers about £4 per passenger journey more to subsidise than traditional timetabled buses, it has emerged.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for transport Councillor Keane Duncan said the latest available figures for the authority’s Yorbus demand-responsive pilot scheme, around Ripon and Masham, showed a “financial mismatch”, despite successful efforts to increase patronage.

Ahead of reviewing data from the trial the council believes there are about ten zones across the county where a Yorbus-style service would be viable to operate.

A meeting of NYCC’s executive was told Yorbus journeys were costing between £11 and £13, which compared with £8 to £9 on routes the county council subsidised in the same area.

Despite the figures, Cllr Duncan underlined his intention to continue developing what he described as an “innovative” alternative to fixed bus services, which he said had been welcomed in the trial area.

He said:

“Passenger numbers are up, loyalty is there, people are coming back and using Yorbus time and time again which is a really positive sign for us.

“Conventional timetabled services may have a lower subsidy, but they operate on a fixed timetable. This means they can only benefit those lucky enough to live along a bus route with a bus stop available to them.”

Yorbus has been heralded as the potential solution to the dearth of public transport in rural areas of England’s largest county.

The success of the pilot scheme is being viewed as crucial by campaigners fighting for rural transport services, particularly after the authority’s £116m bid to the Government’s Bus Back Better scheme was last year rejected in its entirety, with Whitehall officials citing a lack of ambition.

The meeting this week heard transport user groups had recently highlighted concerns about the lack of transport in rural areas.

The concerns follow the executive last summer approving spending nearly £230,000 of taxpayers’ money on trialling its Yorbus demand-responsive bus service for a further year.

They also come three months after Cllr Duncan warned the county’s bus network was “facing a really grave situation”, partly due to rising costs.

The meeting was told the council had relaxed restrictions on using its on-demand bus service since last summer amid fears restrictions were deterring key potential customers and would make the Yorbus unsustainable.

He said the council had expanded Yorbus’s times of operation, the number of villages to which it travels, and, following numerous complaints, introduced the ability to pre-book journeys.

Cllr Duncan said recent months had seen patronage rise by about 30% on the year before.

However, he said the cost per passenger journey on Yorbus, which has been operating in the Masham, Bedale and Ripon area since July 2021, remained relatively high, even compared with journeys on buses with fixed timetables.

Cllr Duncan said the value to residents of Yorbus was greater than traditional buses as it maximised the number of people who could use it – some 40,000 residents in the pilot zone – and was more flexible.

He said the authority would examine the pilot scheme in the coming months, including how to address the high cost per journey.

Council bids for £3m for cycling projects in Harrogate and Knaresborough

North Yorkshire County Council is set to bid for £3.19 million from the government to help fund two cycling schemes in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways at the council, confirmed that the authority had approved a submission for the funding from tranche four of the Department for Transport’s active travel fund.

The county council has been allocated £1.08 million of funding, although it has been invited to bid for an additional £2.16 million.

It will see the funding go towards improvements to public spaces, pedestrian crossings and segregated cycleways on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate.

Segregated cycling lanes would be created on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate.

This would use the full £1.08 million of the tranche four funding already awarded and would require a further £492,000 from the remaining tranche two funds. The Victoria Avenue project is described by the council as its ‘priority scheme’.

A further scheme would see segregated cycle lanes created in Knaresborough at a cost of £1.65 million. They would be created on the A59 Forest Lane Head/Harrogate Road starting around Maple Close toward Knaresborough, ending close to Knaresborough High Bridge.

The council has said this would “deliver improved crossing facilities to link existing cycle routes, Knaresborough town centre and the railway station”.

Today’s announcement appears to amount to the council reviving previously announced plans to improve cycling on Victoria Avenue and the A59 at Knaresborough — if it can secure funding.

The council has also earmarked a scheme in Richmond as part of the bid.

Cllr Duncan said:

“We want to enable more people in North Yorkshire to have the option of safely and conveniently walking, wheeling and riding.

“Our latest bid, worth more than £3 million, is another significant milestone in our efforts to deliver a more balanced approach to travel in the county, which will reduce emissions, cut congestion and promote healthier lifestyles.

“The new infrastructure in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Richmond would significantly improve road safety and unlock an estimated 579 additional walking and cycling trips per day.

“The bid builds on our efforts to encourage more sustainable travel, which in recent years has seen us secure more than £55m of central government funding.”

The move comes after the county council scrapped plans for the second phase of the Otley Road cycle route this month.

The council, which is the highways authority, also revealed it would not be bringing back restrictions for motorists on nearby Beech Grove.

Instead it will propose new measures to tackle speed in the streets surrounding Otley Road, improved crossings for cyclists, better signage for cycle routes and improvements to bus infrastructure.

A decision on bids submitted for the active travel fund is expected from the government on March 17.

Construction must begin on successful projects before March 31, 2024.

North Yorkshire bus routes may avoid financial ‘cliff edge’, says transport boss

Bus services in North Yorkshire may avoid a “cliff edge” over funding next month, according to the county’s transport boss.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire County Council, had previously warned that up to 79 services faced reduced frequency or ceasing altogether when central government funding comes to an end in March.

It comes as a drop in passenger numbers and increased costs for operators has put some routes at risk.

Some services, such as the 24 service in Pateley Bridge, have been secured for another year.

However, in a statement to next week’s full council meeting, Cllr Duncan has suggested others may be saved.

He said:

“North Yorkshire’s bus network remains in a fragile position, with lower passenger numbers and increased costs continuing to affect the profitability of several services.

“However, there are positive signs that the council’s close cooperation with operators will allow us to avoid the feared March ‘cliff edge’ when post-covid government funding is expected to end.”

Cllr Duncan added that the county council intends to focus on securing funding for other services after recently securing bus routes in Selby and Scarborough.

He said:

“Our focus now shifts to other parts of the county.

“It is our hope that we can find funds to protect services here too until at least 2024.”

The comments come as the county council negotiated funding to secure the 24 bus route between Pateley Bridge and Harrogate until April next year.

Transdev, which operates the service, had initially planned to withdraw most services on the route.

£69m Kex Gill realignment beset by further delay

Work on a major realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill has been further delayed as the scheme awaits sign off from government.

North Yorkshire County Council had earmarked work on the scheme to finally start in January.

The project will see a diversion built west of Blubberhouses on a stretch of road blighted by a history of landslips.

The scheme has faced numerous delays and following tender returns, the estimated cost of the scheme increased by £7.2 million to £68.8 million, which the council attributes to inflation affecting constructions costs.

In a statement to full council next week, Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways, will say:

“We are almost ready to begin construction work to realign Kex Gill, which is amongst the council’s biggest ever infrastructure projects.

“The council has awarded preferred bidder status to John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Ltd, a family-owned international civil engineering and construction contractor with a strong track record.

“We are in the final stages of completing land acquisition processes ahead of a decision on our full business case which was submitted to the Department for Transport in August.

“A decision is expected very soon to coincide with a planned start on site.”

The project is due to be funded by a £56.1 million grant from the Department for Transport, with the council covering the rest from its reserves.

A further £11 million has been factored into the £68 million budget to cover any issues with ground conditions or bad weather.

It comes as senior county council officials have warned about the risk involved with the authority’s major projects amid soaring inflation.

Gary Fielding, the council’s director for strategic resources, warned previously that the “burden of risk” for major projects, such as the realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill, will fall on the authority amid soaring inflation.

The A59 at Kex Gill, near Blubberhouses, is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton. Since 2000, the route has been closed 12 times following landslips.

The estimated completion date for the scheme is May 2025.

Harrogate’s Otley Road cycleway has cost £2.2m so far

The Otley Road cycleway in Harrogate has cost £2,234,000 so far — almost triple the amount awarded to contractors to construct the first phase.

Hull civil engineering firm PBS Construction was awarded £827,000 in 2021 to build phase one from Harlow Moor Road to Cold Bath Road.

The much-criticised route opened in January last year but subsequent remedial work and design fees for phase two of the project — which has since been scrapped — increased the cost significantly.

The widening of the Otley Road and Harlow Moor Road junction was the main remedial work.

The figures are contained in a North Yorkshire County Council report, which raises questions over whether the council had sufficient funds to complete the second phase of the scheme.

Councillor Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways and transportation at North Yorkshire County Council, said phase two had been dropped because it lacked public support.

But the report reveals the council has just £565,000 remaining of the £4,275,000 it secured in 2018 from the government’s National Productivity Investment Fund for measures that enabled development and business growth in west Harrogate

The funding and spending figures contained in the report are reproduced below.

Otley Road cycle way

According to the document, council officers received “multiple reports” about the design and construction of the cycleway from residents and groups such as Harrogate District Cycle Action after it opened. It adds:

“These were then reviewed with our design consultants WSP, and a list of remedial works have now been prepared.

“These remedial works were planned to be completed in the early part of 2023. However, in May 2022 the fibre optic network company City Fibre contacted North Yorkshire County Council with a request to install fibre optic cables down the full length of the newly constructed cycleway.

“We have negotiated with City Fibre to reinstate the full width of the cycleway at their expense. We will therefore carry out our outstanding remedial works once City Fibre have installed their apparatus.”

The report adds £60,000 of the remaining funds are expected to cover these remedial works.

The council has said it will come up with new traffic calming measures in the west of Harrogate to compensate for scrapping phase two of the scheme, which would have extended the cycleway from Cold Bath Road towards Beech Grove.

It still has aspirations to construct phase three out of town to Cardale Park at an unspecified time in the future.

North Yorkshire County Council’s highways area manager Melisa Burnham said:

“Although construction costs increased to £970,000 following completion, this was still within our anticipated budget. The increase was a result of additional design works and remedials found whilst on site.

“The remaining costs include design, feasibility, surveys and utility diversions required to deliver phase one and two of the cycleway, and the Harlow Moor Road junction improvement to date.”

Confirmed: second phase of Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle route scrapped

The second phase of Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle way has been scrapped, North Yorkshire County Council confirmed today.

The council, which is the highways authority, also revealed it would not be bringing back restrictions for motorists on nearby Beech Grove.

Instead it will propose new measures to tackle speed in the streets surrounding Otley Road, improved crossings for cyclists, better signage for cycle routes and improvements to bus infrastructure.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways and transportation at North Yorkshire County Council, hinted last month the second of three proposed phases for Otley Road would not proceed after none of three options put forward proved popular with cyclists, walkers or motorists.

Today the council issued a statement saying “an alternative package of measures for Otley Road will be outlined and presented to the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee this summer”.

The area constituency committee advises North Yorkshire County Council on local issues although its powers are expected to be beefed-up when North Yorkshire Council comes into existence on April 1.

The statement said:

“After listening to public concerns, it is proposed that construction of phase two of Otley Road cycle way is not advanced, and the Beech Grove restrictions are not made permanent.

“Instead, it is proposed that the remaining funding of up to £500,000 in the National Productivity Investment Fund package is used for other measures to encourage active travel, support growth and address safety concerns along the Otley Road corridor.”

Otley Road cycle path

Phase one of the Otley Road cycle way, which was completed in January last year, links Harrogate Grammar School, residential areas and Cardale Park. It has been widely criticised for its design.

The proposed phase two would link Arthurs Avenue to the town centre, and phase three Harlow Moor Road to Cardale Park.

The experimental traffic restrictions on Beech Grove and Lancaster Road, which prevented non-residential through traffic, ran from April 2021 to August last year.

‘Listening to feedback’

Cllr Duncan said today:

“Our proposal to consider an alternative package of sustainable transport measures demonstrates how we are listening to public feedback. Halting construction of phase two allows us the opportunity to prepare new measures with local input and support.

“The constraints of Otley Road meant it was always going to be difficult to meet government cycle infrastructure design standards without infringing on the Stray, widening the road or removing trees.

“We consulted on a number of options, but these were not fully compliant and attracted criticism. Cyclists have expressed concerns that the proposed cycle way would not encourage more cycling due to its design, while pedestrians said they were concerned about their safety.

“Given the concerns, it is right that we think again and explore alternative measures to promote walking, cycling and use of public transport.”

Concerns were expressed about possible conflict between cyclists and pedestrians because an entirely segregated cycle way could not be created due to constraints such as protected trees, Stray land and carriageway width.

The next steps will be considered at a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s business and environmental services corporate director and executive member on Friday.

Road safety charity lodges complaint against North Yorkshire transport chief

A war of words has erupted over calls to introduce a default 20mph zone across North Yorkhire’s built-up areas, with the founder of a campaign group lodging a standards complaint against the county’s transport chief.

Road safety charity 20’s Plenty is focussing pressure on Cllr Keane Duncan after he questioned the group’s claims, accused them of using increasingly ruthless tactics and asked for time to thoroughly consider whether 20mph zones should become standard in towns and villages.

The authority’s executive member for highways and transport issued the statement ahead of a meeting of Conservative-led North Yorkshire County Council’s Thirsk and Malton Constituency Committee on February 3.

The meeting is scheduled to see a notice of motion proposed by opposition councillors considered, which calls to extend a proposed trial of default 20mph zones across the vast constituency.

The council, which last year sought to relax rules about setting up 20mph zones, is already examining a proposal to trial default 20mph zones in built-up areas around Harrogate, but its leaders have warned introducing it would cost about £1m and impact on its ability to fund road repairs across the county.

The charity’s founder and campaign director Rod King has declined to specify the nature of the complaint to the council. Campaigners in the group have stated it is based on criticisms Cllr Duncan made about the campaign group’s claims.

A 20s Plenty for North Yorkshire spokesperson said the complaint was “on the grounds of Cllr Duncan’s attempts to influence the due democratic process in the committee ahead of this Friday’s meeting by means of unfounded claims on our integrity”.

Members of the campaign group have suggested the outstanding standards issue would mean Cllr Duncan will not be able to vote on a notice of motion about 20mph limits at Friday’s Thirsk and Malton constituency committee meeting.

Responding to the suggestion, a county council spokesman said:

“In the event of any complaint against a councillor, we would follow the relevant members complaints procedure.

“It would usually be a matter for a member to determine themselves whether they take part in a debate.”

‘Exaggerating opposition’

Ian Conlan, 20’s Plenty campaigner, who is also Mayor of Malton, said the group had consistently had 70% support over the years and its local surveys in North Yorkshire had backed that up and that Cllr Duncan was exaggerating the opposition to 20s Plenty.

He said 20s Plenty were pushing the issue at the moment in the hope of getting funding agreed for the pilot scheme in this year’s council budget.

Cllr Conlan said the council had had years to consider default 20mph zones and did not need more time to consider the issue and that Cllr Duncan was trying to influence the democratic process by spreading misinformation about 20s Plenty.

Cllr Duncan said rather than welcoming democratic challenge, the leadership of 20’s Plenty had “resorted to issuing a formal complaint against me and are attempting to block me from voting at Friday’s meeting”.

He added:

“I will not be intimidated by what I consider to be heavy-handed tactics and I will continue to publicly challenge any misleading and exaggerated claims made.

“Most importantly, I will not allow the council’s review of 20mph limits to be rushed or unduly prejudiced. We will look at all factors thoroughly and only then will we make considered recommendations to improve road safety in North Yorkshire.”

North Yorkshire transport chief accuses 20mph campaigners of ‘misleading’ tactics

North Yorkshire’s transport chief has accused the 20’s Plenty group of using “misleading” tactics in its pursuit of a new 20mph default speed limit in the county.

20’s Plenty for Us consists of 600 local groups campaigning for a speed limit of 20mph to be normal on residential streets and in town and village centres.

Councillor Keane Duncan said leading members of the group appear “blindly ideological” and are demanding a default 20mph limit be agreed before the council has been able to fully consider key issues such as enforcement, value for money and road safety implications.

Cllr Duncan, who is North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways and transport, was asked by the council’s executive in November to investigate the approach to 20mph speed limits.

But the Conservative said this detailed work was being undermined by 20’s Plenty campaigners demanding his review be cut short prematurely and for £1m to be agreed as part of this year’s budget to roll-out the new default limit.

He also said 20’s Plenty were “exaggerating” levels of public support, and motions submitted by opposition councillors, such as one considered at the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee calling for a 20mph pilot, were creating confusion due to “unclear” language.

Cllr Duncan said:

“20’s Plenty appear blindly ideological with just one aim and objective – 20mph as the default limit in every town and every village in North Yorkshire.

“This is a one-size-fits-all approach that cannot take into account the diversity of North Yorkshire’s local communities and their wishes.

“Such a radical proposal rightly deserves thorough consideration and public consultation. We do not know the views of the police. We do not know detailed costs. We do not know the road safety implications.”

Cllr Duncan accused campaigners of “using increasingly ruthless tactics” to get him to cut short his investigation prematurely and award them £1m before it has completed its investigations. He added:

“I am concerned that 20’s Plenty are preying on legitimate public concerns about road safety and presenting a default 20mph as the only possible solution, when improved enforcement and crossing facilities might be preferred in the first instance.

“I am also concerned that 20’s Plenty are misleading the public by exaggerating and misrepresenting the levels of support for their campaign.

“I take my responsibility for road safety in North Yorkshire very seriously. I am appealing for the council to be allowed to come to considered and well thought out conclusions.”

Hot Seat: the youthful councillor leading transport in North Yorkshire

Keane Duncan is only 28 but he has already packed a lot into his political career.

At 19 he was selected as a Conservative candidate for election on to Ryedale District Council. The following year he was elected and at 24 he became council leader.

At 22, he became the youngest ever North Yorkshire county councillor and after being re-elected in May last year he was appointed executive member for highways and transportation — the most high profile role on the executive besides the leader. Criticism — often fierce — is part of the brief.

He says:

“The role I have got right now has been the biggest political challenge I’ve had. We cover an area five times the size of Greater London.

“Everybody has got an opinion on transport and everybody wants to express it. It is difficult to switch off because I feel very heavily the weight of responsibility that I’ve got.

“But it’s my home area. North Yorkshire is where I’m born and bred and an area that I want to do everything I can to improve.”

The role includes oversight of major schemes including the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway, the £70 million realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill, introducing a Harrogate park and ride and the headache-inducing Otley Road cycle route.

He became the youngest ever North Yorkshire county councillor at the age of 22.

Cllr Duncan, who was born in Malton in Ryedale, has also got six other districts besides Harrogate to worry about, not to mention countywide problems such as potholes and trying to prevent a mass cull of bus services at the end of March.

Councillors aren’t paid but they do receive allowances. Cllr Duncan currently receives a basic allowance of £10,316 per year plus £15,939 for his executive portfolio. These sums are set to rise to £15,500 and £19,554 respectively when North Yorkshire County Council is replaced by North Yorkshire Council on April 1.

When he isn’t on council duty he works as deputy news editor of the Daily Star, writing recently about everything from a monster python attacking a child to the death of former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev — who left power before Cllr Duncan was born.

He says:

“I work full-time in my journalism role and I would say I work full-time plus in my executive role so there is a lot of pressure. It does take a lot of time but I’m committed to my council duties.”

‘I believe in Conservative principles’

Cllr Duncan, a keen gym-goer, was the most eye-catching appointment to leader Carl Les’ 10-person executive, which is effectively his Cabinet, not least because he was 45 years younger than his predecessor Don Mackenzie.

During our interview, Cllr Duncan gave updates on the Otley Road cycle route and the gateway but we also wanted to know what has driven him since his teens to pursue politics so vigorously and what kind of Conservative he is. Even his degree is in politics. He says:

“Fundamentally I believe in Conservative principles — that is people taking responsibility, low taxes, everything you would expect from a Conservative.

“I do think I look at things slightly differently to some of my colleagues. That is maybe a result of being from a younger generation but I have always been prepared to make my own mind up on things. That isn’t always easy but I have done this for eight years through university and all my working life so far.

“I enjoy being a councillor and serving the public and for people who aren’t involved in local politics that’s difficult to explain and articulate. But it’s something I can’t imagine not having in my life.”

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for access at North Yorkshire County Council.

Pictured in Harrogate

Here’s what he had to say on the key local transport issues.

Kex Gill start ‘imminent’

Realigning the landslip-hit A59 at Kex Gill is “the most ambitious highways capital project that the county council has ever embarked on”, says Cllr Duncan.

Work has been delayed many times but the scheme is due to start any day. He said it was a deceptively complex project:

“On a map it looks very simple but we know there are all the engineering challenges this scheme presents. But we are committed to delivering this scheme.”

‘More comprehensive’ active travel schemes

The council’s commitment to active travel has been questioned by Harrogate District Cycle Action after Cllr Duncan indicated the second phase of the Otley Road cycle route won’t proceed.

Other cycling schemes on Beech Grove and Victoria Avenue in Harrogate have failed to progress, along with another scheme for Harrogate Road in Knaresborough.

It seems they may now be shelved too as wider, more ambitious plans are drawn up after the council submits a bid to the fourth round of funding by Active Travel England, which funded the schemes.

He said:

“We are progressing on those schemes but there’s the prospect of further funding in active travel round four and there might be a case for using funding we have already secured and funding we might secure in that round to deliver much more comprehensive active travel schemes in the future. So we are really just waiting to see the outcomes of that.

“We are looking to improve those corridors but there might be more comprehensive things we can do in those locations but they would require further funding so we are working closely with Active Travel England, discussing our plans and proposals, and they are saying ‘don’t deliver a scheme just because you have funding for that element of a scheme, take a step back and look at the bigger picture and if you need further funding to deliver a more comprehensive scheme then we want to work with you to provide that’.”

Speaking at County Hall in Northallerton

Park and ride location uncertain

The council previously said it had identified two possible sites for a park and ride in Pannal on land near Pannal Golf Club and the Buttersyke Bar roundabout south of the village.

These were identified as they connect to the 36 bus service which runs between Harrogate, Ripon and Leeds on the A61.

But it seems this too is under review. Asked about the Pannal options, Cllr Duncan said:

“As far as I’m concerned that is one of many sites that have been explored so I wouldn’t want to rule anything in or out at this stage but certainly work is ongoing at this stage in the hope that we can get a positive outcome from it.

“I’m open minded about that and want to wait and see the outcomes of the analysis we are doing. I have not yet had confirmation as to when this is expected to conclude.”

Buses face ‘cliff edge’

Although funding for the 24 service between Pateley Bridge and Harrogate was secured for another year this week, Cllr Duncan says 79 services in North Yorkshire are at risk of reduced frequency of service or ceasing altogether.

D-Day is fast approaching. He says:

“Passenger numbers are 80% of where they were before the covid pandemic on average.

“Operating costs and staffing costs have increased significantly and that has created this perfect storm. The scale of that challenge will far exceed the £1.6m of subsidy we set aside every year which has been the case since 2016.

“The cliff edge moment is going to be March when the central government funding comes to an end. But when the people of North Yorkshire are for whatever reason not using buses, it wouldn’t be right to then ask the public to pay more to subsidise services they are not using. That is not sustainable.

“The only real way forward is passengers. Passengers are the key to this problem and we need people to use buses.”

24 bus from Pateley Bridge to Harrogate saved

The 24 bus route between Pateley Bridge and Harrogate has been saved until at least April next year.

The service provides a lifeline for many people in rural parts of Nidderdale, including Birstwith, Darley and Summbridge.

North Yorkshire County Council warned this month it was one of about 80 bus routes in North Yorkshire facing uncertain futures at the end of March.

But councillor Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways and transport at North Yorkshire County Council, said today:

“The 24 is a key route that many people rely on so I am pleased to announce that we have been able to step in to support this service.

“When the operator notified us that it planned to withdraw most services on this route, we secured short-term funds to cover these until April 2023.

“This allowed us time to investigate a longer-term solution. We have now secured continuation of the service until April 2024, operated by Transdev (The Harrogate Bus Company).

Cllr Duncan added the timetable will continue unchanged, but with most journeys now receiving financial support.

“We hope that passengers will support the 24 service and that usage will build over the coming 12 months.

“This positive outcome on the 24 is part of our efforts to support several at risk routes across North Yorkshire.

“We will continue to work closely with operators in order to protect as much of the bus network as we can through a period of unprecedented pressure.”

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‘Listening to feedback’

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‘Exaggerating opposition’

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‘I believe in Conservative principles’

Kex Gill start ‘imminent’

‘More comprehensive’ active travel schemes

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Park and ride location uncertain

Buses face ‘cliff edge’

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