Funding warning over £116m plan to 'transform' bus services across Harrogate and North Yorkshire

Michael Leah, assistant director for transport and environment at North Yorkshire County Council, told an executive meeting today it was "unlikely" the authority would receive all of the £116million it bid and that there was a possibility it could get no funding at all.

This comes after the government wrote to councils in January highlighting how its £3billion budget to “transform” bus services had more than halved to £1.4billion.

Mr Leah told today's meeting: "The overall availability of funding has reduced and therefore expectation has dampened across the county.

"If we are to get a number, it will unlikely be £116million."

Mr Leah explained that any funding received would be prioritised to areas where the county council believes it is needed the most, including Harrogate which has the worst traffic congestion in North Yorkshire.

He said the on-demand bus service, YorBus, which allows app users to book and track journeys in Ripon, Bedale and Masham, would also be high on the list for financial support.

Mr Leah added: "If we were to not get any funding, there are still parts of our enhanced partnerships scheme which we could see through, such as better bus timetable information and more coordinated work with operators.

"It's not just about the money."

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The county council unveiled its Bus Service Improvement Plan in October with proposals for more bus lanes, cash support for existing and new services, a simpler ticketing system and better information on journeys.

Crucially, the aim is for services to cover the whole of North Yorkshire - something which has been described as an "enormous challenge" for England's largest county.

It is hoped these targets will be also met through so-called enhanced partnerships where the county council will agree to infrastructure improvements in return for better services from bus companies.

Separately, the county council has also made a bid for £8million of government cash to make all of Harrogate Bus Company's fleet electric.

If successful, the company's parent firm Transdev would contribute £11.5million towards the costs of buying 39 zero-emission buses.

The different plans are all part of the overall aim to solve Harrogate's congestion woes by encouraging people out of their cars and onto public transport.

But the scale of the challenge can be seen in figures which show just 6% of short commuting trips within Harrogate before the pandemic were on a bus - and that this was decreasing year-on-year.

And while Harrogate is the most populated area in North Yorkshire and is being seen as a priority for investment, the county council has been urged not to forget other parts of the county, particularly rural communities.

Councillor David Chance, who represents the Whitby area, told today's meeting: "We haven't had bus services in some of our villages for 20 years.

"I would ask that this be looked at very seriously because it does impede social mobility and also impacts on loneliness."

Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council, responded to say improvements to rural bus services have formed the "backbone" of the Bus Service Improvement Plan.

He said: "There are huge challenges in providing affordable transport to a county as large as our own.

"But without question, one of the priorities we have is to improve bus services in rural areas, whether by traditional or more modern means as has been the case with YorBus."

By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter