Derbyshire cost–cutting plans are slammed

Derbyshire County Council is to launch a consultation this autumn on proposals to completely withdraw funding for a range of services, including Dial-a-Bus. About 1,300 people with mobility problems rely on the doorstop service every month.

By The Newsroom

Published 4th Oct 2014, 17:57 BST

to go shopping and visit friends.

Patrick Dawson is chief executive of Community Transport for Town and County, which covers areas of the Derbyshire Dales.

He said: “If these plans go ahead, there could be massive implications for thousands of our service users.

“We could see people stranded in their homes and unable to do really important things like going to the supermarket and visiting their friends.”

aCTive travel – a door-to-door service which takes people to health appointments – also faces the axe.

And Wheels to Work – which operates a moped loan scheme for people needing to travel to work – would lose its £50,000-a-year council funding, throwing its future into doubt.

The Labour-led council needs to save £157million by 2018 because of government cuts. Councillor Andy Botham, the council’s deputy cabinet member for jobs, economy and transport, said: “We’re having to think the unthinkable.”