New Forest bus services face cuts as Hampshire County Council seeks £800,000 transport budget saving
NEW Forest bus and minibus services are being targeted by Hampshire County Council as it looks to save £800,000 from its passenger transport budget.
HCC is proposing reducing some bus operating hours throughout the district and decreasing its contributions to minibus and taxishare schemes, including the New Forest Call and Go (Cango) minibus service.
The proposals provoked the ire of public transport campaigners and politicians, with the Liberal Democrat member for Dibden and Hythe, Cllr Malcolm Wade, calling the plans "short-sighted".
He said: "We're in the midst of a climate crisis and we're supposed to be getting to carbon neutral as soon as possible.
"If we're supposed to be getting people out of their cars and on to public transport, the government is not giving the council the funding needed to achieve that."
HCC says it needs to cut its passenger transport budget by £800,000 to help plug an overall budget shortfall of £80m.
Details of the proposed changes were set out in a report published ahead of the authority's transport and environment select committee meeting today (Friday).
They are set to be rubberstamped by Cllr Edward Heron, HCC cabinet member for transport and environment strategy, on Monday.
It proposed the C32/33 New Milton to Lymington bus service should stop after 2.45pm and the Saturday service be withdrawn. It was also suggested the service becomes a fixed timetable rather than bookable.
The report said HCC spent £81,805 on the C32/33 service in 2021/22 and making the cuts would save the authority £32,200 annually.
It was also proposed the early morning 35 bus service between Lyndhurst, Burley and Ringwood be withdrawn due to "low use", saving the council £2,100.
Also under fire is the Cango transport service to which the council contributed £27,336 for 2022/23.
HCC proposes slashing spending on this service by 7% which it claims will equate to the same reduction in service hours.
The council also wants to cut its current spend of £318,766 on supported local bus services in the New Forest by 10%, further impacting Cango, and to cut its annual spend of £22,284 on Burley taxishare by 9%.
It was also proposed the council cut its annual community transport services spend of £40,368 by 21%, again impacting Cango and New Forest Group Hire schemes.
Cango users forum chair John Warden said: "It's quite a ridiculous situation. We've proposed several cost cutting measures since 2018, such as introducing a 50p or £1 charge for the service, which people would be more willing to pay.
"But the council says it can't implement it because the government can't legislate for it.
"Losing services like ours ultimately means you have more older people isolated in their own homes and that just puts extra pressure on social services and its budget."
