Kent County Council plan to cut subsidised bus services

Kent County Council has not ruled out withdrawing certain bus routes as it seeks to save money.

The local authority said it was examining all routes it subsidised in an attempt to save about £350,000 from its transport budget.

The council currently spends about £7m on subsidising about 200 routes across the county.

Some evening and weekend services in rural areas are thought to be most under threat.

Nick Chard, the cabinet member for highways, said he recognised bus services were "extremely important" but had not made a final decision.

'Real world'

He said: "We still regard these routes as a high priority and we are very well aware of the possible impact on individuals and communities.

"We are taking a very close and detailed look at which services we would cut because we do have to save money.

"That is the real world. We don't want to but we have to.

"I would very much like to be able to retain routes, but I haven't made the decisions yet."

Earlier this month, the council said it planned to cut jobs as part of its bid to save £95m during the next financial year.