As you may have read recently, our local Number 9 bus is now in the spotlight as the County Council continues its programme to cut bus subsidies. Specifically the 7:46am and 4:46pm buses from Sutton to Ely, and the 7:10am and 3:55pm buses from Sutton to Chatteris are under threat of being withdrawn.

A couple of years ago Conservative county councillors were looking to cut 100% of bus subsidies in Cambridgeshire. Eventually they agreed to a hard fought concession to allocate £1.5 million to ‘Cambridgeshire Future Transport’, a programme which they say is ‘aiming to develop innovative solutions to the current transport needs in Cambridgeshire’. However, they have failed to identify what, if anything, will replace the bus services they are cutting, or to guarantee public transport provision for affected villages.

We already have a poor bus service with no buses in the evenings or on Sundays. We need to demonstrate that we cannot afford further cuts which will particularly affect young people and the elderly. If you haven’t already done so, please complete the questionnaire created by the County Council for bus users. You can be able to obtain the questionnaire from the Parish Council or complete it online at http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/CambsFT3.