Julian Smith, Member of Parliament for Skipton and Ripon, has met with North Yorkshire County Council to discuss rural bus services.
The meeting with Cllr Chris Metcalfe, the Executive Member responsible for buses on the County Council, and Richard Owens, the Council’s Assistant Director for Integrated Passenger Transport, took place on Friday 13 December.
Speaking after the meeting, Julian said:
I wanted to meet with those making decisions about the future of bus subsidies in North Yorkshire to ensure they were aware of the importance of rural bus services in my constituency and the strength of feeling my constituents have on this issue.
I have received many representations during the consultation from residents who are concerned about the impact any reduction in services could have on them and their communities. Bus services play a hugely important role in enabling people to get around our rural areas and it is vital we do what we can to ensure they can continue to play that important role in the future.
While accepting the financial challenge faced by the County Council, I share the concerns my constituents have expressed to me and want to make sure that solutions put forward by users and communities are fully taken into account when the Council is considering their next steps.
