Maryport bus cuts see residents 'lose their freedom'

The loss of the bus service means Rosemary Reed has to rely on her daughter

Residents of a Cumbrian community have spoken of their fears of being cut off from their town centre by the loss of a local bus service.

The M1 in Maryport served areas including Ellenborough and Ewanrigg.

But bus operator Stagecoach said it axed the service last year because not enough people were using it.

Many parts of the county have lost buses since the local authority cut subsidies in 2014.

Rosemary Reed from Ellenborough used the M1 two or three times a week to see her daughter and get to doctor's appointments.

"Now I'm relying on when the daughter's free to take me," she says.

"You feel that you definitely have lost a bit of freedom to come and go, making plans for yourself and not having to rely on others."

She is one of several residents at Inglis Court retirement home who say they have been affected by the loss of the service.

The residents of Inglis Court retirement home in Maryport are now cut off from the town centre

Maryport's Labour Mayor, Lyn Radcliffe, said removing the bus service had hit the wider community as well.

"It's taken away the rights they have to choose their own way of being," she said.

John George, who owns two shops in the town centre, said it has affected footfall in his newsagent's, Maryport News.

"Over the last 12 months, we're down about 20%, I would say, on a busy Friday," he said.

"Part of people's routine was to come down from east of the railway line into Maryport, meet, have a coffee, do a little bit of shopping."

Shop owner John George said trade was down by about 20%

Stagecoach said the M1 service was operated on an "entirely commercial" basis.

"Owing to a very low number of passengers, the service unfortunately didn't cover its operating costs," a spokesperson said.

The company's number 30 service covers some of the same areas, but residents say the bus stop for the journey back from town is too far away.

Analysis by Bob Cooper, BBC Cumbria political reporter

Buses have fared badly in Cumbria in recent years.

I have surveyed some of the county's town and parish councils and received more than 40 examples of cuts to local services - but this is far from a comprehensive list.

Conservative MPs repeatedly attacked Labour-led Cumbria County Council over an all-but-total lack of subsidies since 2014.

The council argued it needed to save money in the face of government cuts.

But the authority's recent replacement by two new councils could signal a turn in the road.

Westmorland and Furness Council has already agreed to fund some routes temporarily and Cumberland Council says it recently received a grant of nearly £1m from the Department for Transport and is considering what use of the money would give the best long-term outcome.

The old county council decided to allocate £50,000 from the Local Transport Fund to support community transport initiatives rather than bus subsidies, it says.

Stagecoach said not enough people used the M1 service