Dan Norris urged to save threatened BANES bus routes

Mr Norris said he had been pushing for more flexibility with how the grant can be used

A Metro Mayor has been urged to step in to save threatened bus routes.

The West of England Metro Mayor, Dan Norris, was previously told he could not use a £57m government grant to fund supported buses, which are run by local councils.

Three services will be axed next week when Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) Council withdraws funding.

The Roads Minister said he would ensure "maximum flexibility" to help preserve and enhance bus routes.

'New and innovative'

In the first week of June, the 82 between Paulton and Radstock and the 179 and 768 - which both run between Midsomer Norton and Bath - will be withdrawn.

The move comes as 15 other supported buses in the BANES Council area have already been cut.

Supported bus services are funded by local councils because they are deemed not commercially viable for bus companies.

The Department for Transport confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it was willing to be flexible with how bus service improvement plan (BSIP) funding was used.

It also said that local government could decide if supporting bus services would provide best use for money and become sustainable long-term.

Despite this change in policy, Richard Holden, the Roads Minister, said he had not heard from Mr Norris.

Mr Norris has maintained that the BSIP grant is only for "new and innovative" bus schemes, after initially being told by the government that it could not be used to fund supported buses.

He said that he had been "lobbying them hard" for more flexibility with how the grant could be used, but made no commitment to use the funding to support the bus services.

He said: "I would be happy to say to local councils, where they have got subsidised buses that they think are very important, to meet me halfway and we will see if we can go 50/50 to keep some of these routes going.

"But what I can't just do is give loads of money... over to just propping up a system that will stop when that money stops."