Locals cut off as Barcombe bus service is cut to pieces - Free bus passes for pensioners, but no buses to use them on

9.29.56am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 5th Apr 2006

Barcombe residents are concerned about severe cutbacks to their bus service

Local county councillor, Rosalyn St Pierre, yesterday met with a large group of Barcombe villagers, concerned about the severe loss of bus services to the village. She is now requesting an urgent meeting with county council officials to press for action from the council to improve services.

The meeting heard that a change to the local bus timetable, which introduced far-reaching cuts, was brought in at almost no notice. As a consequence of those cuts, people in the village are no longer able to use the bus to get to the doctors’ surgery in Newick, and bus services to connect with morning and evening trains at Cooksbridge have been scaled back to one journey each way, and even that service is now unreliable, the meeting heard, with connections sometimes being missed. Two young people present complained that they had on occasion had to walk back to Barcombe from Lewes.

Rosalyn St Pierre adds: "The recent cuts to bus services to Barcombe have been very unwelcome and hugely inconvenient for many. I have been contacted by many local people, the Parish Council and Rural Voices, Rural Choices on this matter, which is why this week I met with affected residents. I look forward to working with Norman on this, and hopefully making some progress."

Lewes MP, Lib Dem Norman Baker, was also present. He says: "The County Council has cut the bus service to Barcombe to ribbons. Those without cars, those who need to get to the doctors’ in Newick, those who have been using the bus to connect with the train at Cooksbridge, have all been left high and dry. I understand that the direct funding for these services, which came from the Countryside Agency, has run out, but I am not convinced that the council used the three years it had to promote the services properly. Nor do I think that they properly assessed the consequences of their swingeing cuts before making them. Rosalyn and I are therefore requesting a meeting with county officials to see what can be done now to restore lifelines and undo some of the damage."