Lancashire plans reduction to community transport budget

Lancashire County Council’s cabinet is consulting on proposals to reduce the budget which supports community transport services to meet its £144 million funding gap.

Community transport in Lancashire assists support services run by a number of operators, providing transport for people who are not able to use mainstream public transport. This includes Dial-a-Ride, group transport, and community car schemes.

Having agreed to the budget cut in January, the council is proposing to save £175,000 over two years from the community transport budget.

Geoff Driver, leader of the council, said: "We're committed to providing the best services we can, however like many other local authorities our financial position remains extremely challenging, with a forecasted funding gap of over £144m in 2021/22. This means we have to make some difficult decisions to balance the books and, as well as making services as efficient as possible, having to find savings in almost every area of the council's work.

"Community transport provides an important service for people who can't access other public transport, and we want to understand as much as we can about the possible impact of reducing our level of support before making any decisions. We're holding an eight-week consultation, and I'm very grateful for people taking the time to let us know how they use these services, and how they may be affected."