Mayor criticises possible bus cuts for Oswestry
The Mayor of a Shropshire market town says that cutting the frequency of the town centre bus services could lead to loneliness and isolation among elderly and vulnerable people.
Councillor Sandy Best, mayor of Oswestry, is worried that making the services hourly, might put people off going into the town centre from the outlying housing estates.
She says this would not help Oswestry's retailers, that rely on people coming into the town to do their shopping.
Shropshire County Council is consulting on a raft of changes to subsidised bus services in the county as part of its battle to balance the budget.
The section run by Tanat Valley Coaches is not affected as it is a non subsidised service.
The town council mayor is worried about the effect on the whole community.
"We are working very hard at Oswestry Town Council to boost the retail economy and encourage more visitors to the town to shop and use the cafes and restaurants," she said.
"The town centre bus service brings people into the heart of the town."
She said that she is also concerned about the people for whom going into the town centre on the bus was a big part of their social life.
"Without a frequent bus service they may simply stay at home and become isolated and depressed.
"We may find ourselves saving money with one hand but spending more on health services with the other."
People can join in the consultation on the proposed bus service changes by going to shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/reduction-of-local-bus-service-subsidies-financial-year-201920.
