Petition to Kent County Council (KCC) to reverse decision on Bus Subsidy Cuts.

After months of campaigning by opposition councillors and residents across the county, KCC's plans to cut the subsidies for bus routes across Kent are in jeopardy after a number of Conservative councillors joined the opposition and voted against proceeding with the cuts.

The plans are now set to be discussed at a full council meeting on 15th September, and it is time for the residents of Kent to come together and make their voices heard on this issue one more time.

We call on the administration at KCC to reverse this decision - drawing money from reserves, Bus Service Operator Grant funding, Department for Transport funding, and any other available sources - to ensure that residents across Kent do not have their lifelines taken away at this challenging time.

We also call on KCC to redouble their efforts to negotiate with operators to save those services which operators are independently threatening to cut, and to work with Kent's MPs to lobby central government for additional funding to assist with this.

Background

In February 2022, the Conservative administration at KCC voted through a budget which included a £2.2m cut to bus subsidies across the county. A consultation was opened and ran from 24 February to 20 April 2022 to consult the public on 57 bus routes that had been identified as the most expensive 'per passenger' plus the Kent Karrier 'dial a ride' service.

The consultation received a huge response with 2,562 direct replies as well as 55 letters and emails, numerous petitions with thousands of signatures. Over 1,000 respondents confirmed that they have no alternative means of transport if these services were to be cut, and 37% of respondents with a disability consider their bus service to be a 'lifeline'. Fears of isolation and the impact on mental health were concerns for many respondents too.

Despite this huge demonstration from Kent's residents of the importance of these services, not only in terms of ability to get around, but also in terms of the ability to live a healthy life, KCC opted to push ahead with the cuts.

The Kent Karrier was retained to mitigate some of the damage, but journeys on this service cost residents £3.50, regardless of whether or not they are entitled to free bus transport. This would be a hugely unwelcome additional cost for hundreds of residents at a time of spiralling household bills. Of the 57 regular bus routes include in the consultation, just one was saved, only thanks to an admin error which had listed the route incorrectly on the consultation papers.

The Green and Independent, Labour and Liberal Democrat groups at KCC have all opposed these cuts from the outset. The Scrutiny Committee meeting on 18th August showed us that, despite voting for the cuts back in February, many of KCC's Conservative councillors have changed their positions now that the impact of the cuts is being demonstrated. The outcome of the meeting in September is still uncertain, so please sign this petition to show your opposition to these cuts and your support for a strong bus network in Kent.