South Gloucestershire Council has passed a motion opposing further bus cuts amid a row over who is to blame. The ruling Conservative group tabled the proposal at a full council meeting on Wednesday night (October 12), saying 26 services in the district have been axed under Labour metro mayor Dan Norris, who oversees the region’s transport as head of the West of England Combined Authority (Weca).
It accused Mr Norris of wasting £8million for Weca to move into new “luxury” offices, claiming that money could instead be spent protecting or restoring vital bus routes, and demanded that the decision be scrapped. Amendments removing references to the office row, which broke out back in May, were submitted by both the Labour and Lib Dem opposition parties.
Labour group leader Cllr Pat Rooney said the combined authority had no choice but to find a new HQ because the landlord of its current base, near Bristol Temple Meads, had told all tenants, including Weca, to leave by December, and that it was officers, not the metro mayor, who took the decision where to move. Her amendment blamed bus cuts on the Government, privatisation and a driver shortage.
Read more: Metro Mayor condemns ‘disheartening and disappointing’ bus route cancellations
Lib Dem group leader Cllr Claire Young said: “Rather than working to fix the problem, the Conservatives are wasting time trying to deflect attention from their own part in the bus cuts debacle. Local people will not be fooled into putting all the blame on one decision about office location.
“They can see the huge issues facing our country, which the Government is doing nothing to tackle.” She said the leaders of South Gloucestershire Council and Weca should stop squabbling like kids in a playground, and her amendment called on them to improve relations.
Lib Dem Cllr Louise Harris said residents did not care where Weca was based, they cared about good public transport. Both opposition amendments were voted down by the Tory majority in the chamber before the administration’s original version, with a small addition suggested by Cllr Young calling for work to restore lost bus routes, passed with the approval of the Lib Dems, while Labour abstained.
Conservative cabinet member for regeneration, environment and strategic infrastructure Cllr Steve Reade told the meeting: “The motion calls on members to collectively voice their frustration to the Weca mayor about how the combined authority’s finances are not being used effectively for local people.” He said Mr Norris had blamed the bus cuts on a lack of government funding despite the combined authority having “more money than ever” for transport and that £8million was “flying out of the door” on “unnecessary” new offices for Weca.
Council leader Cllr Toby Savage said Weca’s office decision should have been made by elected members in public – which was originally set to be the case – instead of behind closed doors by officers, and that it was an “outrageous use of public money”. The Tory motion said: “This council resolves to:
“Oppose further cuts to bus services across South Gloucestershire and work to replace vital services which have already been lost; Request that a letter signed by all political group leaders be sent to the Weca mayor, collectively calling for the efficient use of existing Weca resources in order to prioritise supporting local bus services, including scrapping Weca’s new offices;
“Request that the council’s chief executive write to local town and parish councils encouraging support for this council’s position.” Cllr Young said after the meeting that she would not be adding her name to a letter that “tries to deceive the public” but would write her own to Mr Norris and Cllr Reade, encouraging them to “put aside political differences, ditch the spin and work together to solve this crisis”.
Cllr Reade said afterwards: “It is truly disappointing that the Labour group refused to join us in opposing these ongoing cuts to local bus services that have been thrust on our communities, but it is even more shameful that they would try to defend the mayor’s misuse of public funds for plush offices during a cost-of-living crisis.”
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