Council says it cannot pay for under threat Arriva bus routes

The local authority has warned it does not have the cash to run the entire network as currently operated

A council has warned of an "existential threat" to bus services across a county.

Arriva is set to close two depots in Macclesfield and Winsford and axe routes across Cheshire.

Cheshire East Council said Arriva operated almost half of the borough's commercial bus services and it did not have the resources to fund the network in its current form.

The bus firm said the closure was a "last resort".

Arriva blamed the closures on falling passenger numbers combined with increased costs.

The company is currently consulting with staff on the proposals, which would see the end of services in Crewe, Macclesfield, Northwich and Winsford.

The routes impacted cover both Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester Council areas.

Craig Browne, the chair of Cheshire East Council's highways and transport committee, said the authority had been "disappointed" by the decision.

Replacement services

Mr Browne said although the council would try to minimise the impact on passengers, inflation and a rise in demand has already led to increasing costs for the council.

"Should Arriva go ahead and close its Macclesfield and Winsford depots, the council does not have the resources to fund the entire Arriva network as currently operated," he said.

"This announcement by Arriva is an existential threat to the bus network in Cheshire, and I shall be working with the leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council and our local MPs to impress on government ministers the seriousness of this situation for the travelling public."

A petition against the decision from Weaver Vale MP Mike Amesbury and Cheshire West and Chester Council leader Louise Gittins has received more than 3,500 signatures.

Another local operator, D&G Buses, has announced it would run extra services in Cheshire following Arriva's announcement.

The firm said it had registered replacement services to cover the 31 and 37 routes, which travel between Northwich, Winsford and Crewe, and the 84 between Crewe and Nantwich and Crewe and Chester.

Commercial director David Brooks said: "There are some services we haven't registered but we will be speaking to local council officers to see what else we can do to help.

"We can't guarantee we can cover all the Arriva routes but we'll make every effort to keep local buses moving in the area."