Lancashire County Council Conservative Administration is proposing to slash over 50% of funding for the Community Transport Consortium including Dial a Ride and Community Car Scheme services.

The consortium operates services in Ribble Valley, Preston and South Ribble, Chorley and West Lancashire under contract to Lancashire County Council, while LCC's Travelcare provides an off-peak Dial-a-Ride service in the other six districts.

County Councillor John Fillis, Labour Group Deputy Leader told QLocal this morning: "The Conservatives know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

"We demand that they should stop this cruel and destructive cut to the most vulnerable people in our communities. It’s their government that should be footing the bill.”

The Conservative controlled council is looking to cut £0.391 million, over a 3 year period from a budget of £0.696 million.

Community Transport services play a major role in promoting good health and wellbeing, reducing loneliness and isolation and help people access important services. Whilst transport operators obtain some funding through grant awards and other means, the overwhelming majority of funds come from the County Council.

These changes are likely to have disproportionate effect on smaller communities and those living in rural areas. Many local services, especially in smaller communities are being withdrawn, such services include banks post offices, local shops, doctors and other services.

Added Fillis: ”Dial-a-Ride services provide a door to door service for some of the most vulnerable in our communities. These are the elderly, disabled and people who suffer from long term illness, who cannot stand at the bus stop. There are more than 6,200 regular users who, between them, made in excess of 166,000 journeys in 2016/17.

“The effect on these people’s lives would be devastating and the knock on affect to the rest of our communities would be just as traumatic especially felt within our National Health Service who would be left to pick up the avoidable health problems.”

“We worked with the operators to establish the Community Transport Consortium, to enhance the service to for local people. Labour increased the funding through what was a very difficult financial period. This decision would put at risk the long term viability of Community Transport operator’s right across Lancashire.”

The Cabinet Meeting will be held on Thursday 18th January; LCC's report to Cabinet identifies that the services play a major role in promoting good health and wellbeing, reducing loneliness and isolation and help people access important services eg: Missed medical appointments, Loneliness for already vulnerable people, Mental health issues due to inability to access services, Malnutrition due to lack of access to food supplies, Debt issues resulting from people with no means of increasing their weekly income, having to pay for unaffordable transport services rather than the more manageable fare that are charged for the Dial-a-Ride services, Decline in physical health and mobility and Lack of access to key local services

Feedback from passengers in the cabinet report: ‘Community Transport is a real life-line and I don’t know what I would do without it’.

‘I am in my 90’s, live alone and have poor health. I thought I was destined to spend the rest of my life as a prisoner in my home when Social Services told me about my local community transport. What a godsend, I am able to get my weekly shopping, go to medical appointments and visit places that I thought I would never see again’.

I am in my late 80’s, have a heart complaint and I live in a granny flat on my daughter’s farm. She has breast cancer and is not well enough to look after me as well as the farm. Without community transport I would be totally isolated. I am now able go to medical appointments without worrying that I am putting unfair pressure on my family.'

Feedback from Volunteers in the cabinet report:

‘When I came to help out at community transport, I had previously suffered a nervous breakdown which left me with no self-confidence, self-esteem or self- worth. .... After driving for community transport for over two years, I applied for a part-time job armed with a new set of important transferrable skills that helped me to get the job. I will never be able to thank community transport enough for believing in me and investing so much time and effort in me to put me ‘back on track’.

‘I had taken early retirement and happened to be looking through a local magazine and came across an advert from my local community transport who were looking for volunteer drivers. Being a volunteer gives me a purpose in life. Speaking to the passengers, I realise that I make a massive difference to their lives, which gives me a very good feeling of self-worth.'