Rural Public Transport Motion Backed By Region
The Cheshire West & Chester Liberal Democrats have won support for their Rural Public Transport Policy, after its motion was carried at the North West Regional Conference in Stockport.
Proposed by our Party Chair Paul Roberts and summated by our Diversity Officer Carol Braithwaite, the motion will hold our local councils and MPs accountable for not only the existing public transport infrastructure currently in place, but to improve on it. Access to buses in rural areas are at the greatest risk of neglect, despite local councils now having fully devolved powers to operate and commission bus services.
CWaC Lib Dems recognise that there is a struggle for resources, but councils must not place rural commuters at risk of social exclusion. Within the county, we urge Cheshire East Council to ensure that bus services covering Audlem, Bunbury & Wrenbury continue to operate.
As a party, we have long campaigned for the reopening of Beeston/Tarporley Train Station to improve accessibility to greener, cheaper transport for up to 20,000 residents. We urge the Government to reconsider its blanket decision to withdraw funding for the potential reopening of closed stations, especially where there is a strong business case to reopen them. Where the Government fail to act, we call on our local councils and MPs to pressure them to reconsider.
If our local authorities do not act, then people within rural communities, without access to a car, are at risk of social exclusion. Sadly, this is further compounded by Labour's Bus Tax. The Government are hiking bus fares across England by 50% by increasing the bus fare cap.
Bus routes are the backbone of economic activity in communities across our country - if the Government is serious about growth then it would invest in services which will boost our struggling town centres and high streets.
While this new Government has been left to make difficult choices, they cannot allow the burden of fixing the Conservatives’ mess to be on people and small businesses across the country.
