DEVON County Council is looking to cut bus services to Okehampton — though the town's vital commuter links to Exeter have been preserved.

The council has launched a consultation on bus proposals to cut £1.7-million from its annual public transport budget over the next two financial years.

Councillors agreed this month to reduce the expenditure on bus services that require council funding to operate. People across the county are now being asked for their views on the proposed reductions to services which are being put forward.

It is proposed that Okehampton will lose a number of services. Among these are the Okehampton town service 318, the leisure and tourism service 187 from Okehampton to Gunnislake and Fare Car 12, which serves the Okehampton and Holsworthy areas.

The potential cuts come as part of the council's efforts to save £110-million by 2017 – £50-million in the coming financial year – due to its reduced settlement from central government. This is despite the authority having already saved £100-million over the past four years.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council cabinet member for highway management, said no communities served by a bus would be entirely cut off.

He said: 'We have made significant efficiencies in transport in previous years to provide the required savings, which has meant that bus services have not been reduced for the past four years, but unfortunately service reductions are no longer avoidable.

'We're facing a 14 percent reduction in spending in the next financial year, despite the Secretary of State claiming we're receiving a 0.5 percent increase.

'We're asking for comments on our proposals for thinning services, which will reduce choice in terms of travel time and destination, but the package of reductions minimises the impact —compared with achieving the savings by alternative approaches on public transport — while reducing spending.

'The starting point for the services proposed for withdrawal or reduction has been those services with low usage or the high cost of subsidy, some costing more than £20 per passenger trip.

'Clearly we can't afford to continue providing that level of funding,' continued Cllr Hughes.

'The county council will be providing additional funding for community transport to enable it to widen its service and help reduce the impact of these cuts, although we recognise the added benefit this will provide will be localised and limited.'

For a while the news had looked particularly bleak, as it was feared that at the same time Okehampton would lose its regular service to and from Exeter.

Concerns rose after Western Greyhound gave notice to withdraw its Service 510, which acted as a link between Okehampton, Exeter, Launceston and Wadebridge, after operation on Saturday, February 21.

From Sunday, February 22, Stagecoach will operate a new 6 and 6A service, an enhancement of its existing services X9 and X10.

There will be four buses on Mondays to Saturdays from Okehampton that will get commuters into Exeter before 9am.

In the evenings, there will be three buses after 5pm from Exeter to Okehampton to get those commuters home again.

There will also be two buses on Sundays in each direction. Whiddon Down, Sticklepath, Halwill Junction, Bridestowe and Lewdown will be served by the new service.

A short-lived campaign had just been started to lobby MPs, councillors and bus operators to ensure a bus service from Okehampton to Exeter was retained — and those involved have expressed delight that this has happened.

Jenny Reynolds from Bridestowe was one of those planning to lobby for the retention of the service. She said: 'Hooray for the new 6 and 6A bus service. Thanks must go out to parish and borough councillors who lobbied so hard to save the service and to our MP Geoffrey Cox, who reacted to my email last Wednesday immediately by ringing the managing director of Stagecoach.

'You could say we have been a bit spoiled up to now with an exceptionally good bus service and that has attracted quite a lot of people to come and live along the route. 

'This includes many older people who, like myself, have to face the fact that one day they might not be able to drive but believed they could stay in their homes and use the buses. 

'If you have posted letters of protest to MPs and councillors, I do not think they will be wasted as, in the present climate, this issue could easily arise again and the fact that such rumblings were heard and that so many people along the route felt so strongly about it will not be forgotten.'

The consultation closes on Monday, April 20.

Full details of all of the proposals are available online at http://www.toughchoices.co.uk">www.toughchoices.co.uk

What are your thoughts on the potential cuts? Get in touch and let us know at timesletters@tindlenews. co.uk or send a letter to Okehampton Times, The Ockment Centre, North Street, Okehampton, EX20 1AR.