From: Cllr Bob Felstead (Con, Wharfedale Ward)

A few weeks ago, we saw an article about a Labour petition to reverse several rail service cuts to Bradford. This needs further explanation, so that people can make an informed decision.

Since 2016/17, passenger journeys in an out of Bradford Foster Square have declined by over 2 million. The fall in passenger numbers along the Wharfedale line at the following stations Ilkley, Ben Rhydding, Burley in Wharfedale, Menston, Baildon and Shipley is a staggering 1.7 million journeys annually, with Burley accounting for 134,000 of that total.

Hybrid working post COVID is the principal cause of the fall in passenger numbers, with many employees working from home.

The Labour petition seeks to use the data submitted for purposes other than just the petition; I’m not saying that’s wrong; I’m questioning the petition’s primary goal.

Cuts to the bus service.

Bus services have been, and continue to be, cut across Wharfedale. Cuts to services include the x52, x84, 948, 962, 966, the DASH with the P99 school service being withdrawn from July 2023. The explanation given in a Combined Authority document addressed to parents about the P99 was: “I regret that this means that Service P99 does not meet the Combined Authority’s value for money criteria which unfortunately means that we are planning to withdraw Service P99 at the end of the current Academic year in July 2023.”

A little clarification is in order here. In December 2021, West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) were in receipt of £825,071 from the Bus Recovery Grant, with national bus operators receiving the balance of £208.3 million to support recovery post COVID.

WYCA also received £24.6 million in March 2022 to support the introduction of zero emission buses and associated infrastructure. A further £3,875,221 (2022 to 2025) and £69,974,070 (2023 to 2024) has been allocated to WYCA for their Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

The Local Transport Authority (WYCA) determines how BSIP money is spent. This has been earmarked for things like vehicle upgrades and subsidising fares, with Labour leaders, Mayor Tracey Brabin and Transport Committee Chair, Susan Hinchcliffe, “reluctant to spend it all on simply propping up routes that otherwise be cut” according to a T&A article dated 21st October 2022.

It seems contradictory that whilst promoting a petition to save rail services, members of the same governing party in West Yorkshire (Labour) are happy to cut our bus services.

If we are going to try to save rail services, shouldn’t we also look at buses too?

Should bus services return to public control, the expectation is to see bus services running to pre-covid schedules. If not, ‘public control’ of the service will simply endorse the cuts already made to many services.

See https://bit.ly/3orYA6z for a more detailed explanation.