Village bus service will end in March unless new funding can be found - this is why the Parish Council walked away

The background

In 2018, Longton Parish Council agreed to provide a £50,000 subsidy to save the service when the then Labour-run County Council removed all subsidies.

Last year the level of financial support needed rose to £82,000 - all paid for with parish residents' council tax - and this year, Preston Bus asked for £202,000, which woud have doubled the parish precept paid by homeowners in the area.

At a meeting between the Parish Council, Preston Bus, and LCC, parish councillors decided "overwhelmingly" to end subsidies altogether - refusing an option for a lower amount and reduced service.

So, is there any hope of saving the service?

The Parish Council claim discussions with LCC have been "very positive" in terms of the authority taking on some level of subsidy in order to retain a service, and now Preston Bus and LCC are in talks to hammer out a deal to stop the service ending at the end of March.

A spokesman for Preston Bus said he was confident a funding soiution would be found.

He said: Preston Bus currently operates service 12 on a contract to Longton Parish Council. The current contract is due to expire at the end of the March and unfortunately it has been decided Longton Parish Council do not wish to continue funding the service beyond this point. The service will operate as normal until Saturday, April 1.

"As it stands today, the service will not operate beyond this point, however discussions between ourselves, Longton Parish and Lancashire County Councils are ongoing and I am confident a revised funding solution will be found."

What does it mean to tax payers?

Councillor Graham Gooch, chairman of the Parish Council, said there will be a reduction in what is asked of parish residents.

He said: “The Precept has now been set at a level of £30,000 down from £116,000. Preston Bus have been informed of the decision; that LPC will not be providing any subsidy and they will now be in contact with LCC to discuss the future for this bus service."

Lancashire County Council has been approached for comment.