A petition has been set up urging Kent County Council to reconsider proposed cuts to “supported” bus services.

Eleven local services are at risk from the plans being presented to KCC’s Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee on Friday.

The authority wants to reduce its £6m budget for services to £4.3m.

Currently, there are 127 bus contracts supported by KCC, including a mix of support and funding for specific journeys, such as on Sundays.

The county council has proposed to cut about 48 contracts, marking around 37% of the total number of services supported by KCC.

The KCC document shows that in Maidstone and Malling the biggest saving will come from the X1/X2 services between the County Town and West Malling/Kings Hill. This comes in at £207,721, while a KCC could save £126,000 by cutting the Maidstone to Grafty Green route.

The X1/X2 weekday services between Kings Hill and Maidstone are at risk, along with the 208/209 from East Peckham, near Tonbridge, to Pembury.

Other routes at risk include 8, 9, 343, 344 and 345 in Sittingbourne Rurals; the 58 from Addington to Maidstone and 17 from Folkestone to Canterbury.

A supported bus service is one that is not deemed economically viable for private bus operators to run themselves, but regarded as socially important.

Councils can step in to plug the gaps for services.

This includes Kent Karrier, a dial-a-ride service which provides cheap travel for the elderly, residents who live in rural areas and those with serious health conditions.

Notably the small village of Detling village faces the possibility of being cut off completely. This comes after the civil parish already suffered major cuts in 2016. This saw the 333 and 334 Arriva routes between Detling and Maidstone stopped after 9.30am.

If the cuts are approved, changes will be implemented in August 2022.

Stuart Jeffery, Green Party campaigner in Maidstone, who has started the petition, said: “With the dire state of Maidstone’s already congested roads, rising fuel prices and the requirements for strong action on climate change, bus services need to be invested in, not cut.

“These services are the ones that have previously been supported by KCC for good reason, the services are there for those most in need, including the Kent Karrier scheme.

“KCC should not cut bus services, particularly those for people who need them most. We need more buses not more cars.”

KCC’s cabinet member for transport, Cllr David Brazier (Con), says the county council must make “challenging decisions” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

'This will imprison many people in rural areas...'

Cllr Brazier said: “In light of the significant cost and rising demand pressures facing KCC in 2022/23, the council must make challenging decisions to ensure it is able to continue delivering its statutory responsibilities.”

Opposition parties, including the Greens and Labour, have strongly opposed the move, which they describe as “poorly timed”.

Cllr Barry Lewis (Lab), who is KCC’s shadow cabinet member for transport, said: “Many people rely on the bus services to meet friends and go shopping. This will imprison many people in rural areas.”

Cllr Mark Hood (Green), who represents Tonbridge, added: “The danger is that without a more generous government funding settlement this year’s cuts will be followed by many more.”

However, KCC’s Tonbridge and Malling councillor for Malling Rural East, Sarah Hudson, said: “Sadly, tax payers cannot continue to subsidise unviable bus routes, whose funding from developer contributions has come to an end. Covid-19 has had a significant impact on commuting from Kings Hill and this has impacted the economic viability of the route.”

Arriva, which is one of the main bus operators working in Kent, described the proposed cuts as “limited”.

The Local Government Association says emergency government funding is needed to save many bus services across England.

Kent county councillors will discuss the bus consultation during an online debate on Friday, February 18, from 2pm.

Cllr Brazier added: “We entirely understand how vital some of these bus routes are to some residents and communities and we are committed to working closely with partners, providers and passengers in the future.”

Residents will be able to have their say in a public survey about the proposed cuts until April 22 and any cuts that are agreed would be implemented in August.

n Sign the petition at www.tinyurl.com/km-bus-petition