Government funding for new rural bus services

New services will link villages to Northampton, Towcester and Milton Keynes

New bus services using government funding are being introduced to link villages with nearby towns and cities.

The routes link villages such as Deanshanger in Northamptonshire with Towcester and Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire.

The project is a partnership between West Northamptonshire Council and Stagecoach Midlands.

Deanshanger Parish Council has described the announcement as "great news".

Some of the places that benefit from the project have seen services being cut, then reinstated, and then cut again.

Buses have sometimes been provided by small companies or community initiatives, but there have been no guarantees of long-term provision.

West Northamptonshire Council said the launch of the new services "comes thanks to partnership working with Stagecoach Midlands and funding from the Department for Transport's Bus Service Improvement plan".

The X91 runs between Towcester and Milton Keynes via Deanshanger, which has a population of about 13,000 people and boasts a secondary school and several shops.

The service also stops at the smaller settlement of Potterspury, which is home to about 1,600 people.

Deanshanger, a large village on the Northants/Bucks border, has new buses to Milton Keynes

A new bus linking Brixworth and Northampton has been combined with an existing service to provide up to two buses an hour.

People from Daventry who use the railway station and facilities in Long Buckby village now have an hourly daytime service.

Phil Larratt, the council's cabinet member for transport, said: “We are delighted that Stagecoach will be operating several new services from next month.

"It is thanks to funding from the Department for Transport and working closely with Stagecoach that they will be able to run these services that provide more opportunities for our residents to move around.”

The local transport minister Simon Lightwood says the new services are "fantastic"

The local transport minister Simon Lightwood said: “Buses are an affordable and sustainable travel option and it’s fantastic to see that local people in West Northamptonshire will now enjoy more bus services to get around more easily and with greater peace of mind."

On its website, Deanshanger Parish Council said: "This new Stagecoach service is great news".