Shepway Bus Services Threatened by Kent Council Budget Cuts

A report by Kent Live has exposed that bus services in Kent used by the elderly, the disabled and those who don't drive are set to have their funding slashed by 70 per cent, resulting in a loss of 74 services.

Kent County Council has proposed an almost £4 million cut in their budget for 'socially necessary' bus services, which are not commercially viable but are subsidised by the council.

The proposals would mean the loss of dozens of rural services. In Shepway three services will face the axe, including a key route from Lydd to the William Harvey in Ashford that would leave some residents without access to the hospital.

The threatened services in Shepway are:

• 11 Lydd - Ashford - William Harvey Hospital
• 553 Brookland - Rye
• 18 Canterbury - Hythe

Lydd resident Oliver Robinson says:

"This is mad. These are unprecedented cuts to transportation in Kent, which will in places leave entire communities set to be cut off from the outside world."