Relief for residents after at-risk bus routes saved

People have spoken of their delight after a council dropped plans to withdraw funding from two bus services.

Essex County Council had intended to remove funding for the 320 and 321 bus routes, run by Stephensons, which linked Steeple Bumpstead, Hempstead, Radwinter and Sewards End to Haverhill, Suffolk, and Saffron Walden.

Oli Franklin-Wallis, who lives in Saffron Walden, said the buses were a lifeline for people in rural areas to access shops, the train station and other services.

A spokesperson for the county council said it was "not financially sustainable" for the routes to continue but it would now use government money to subsidise them following a public consultation.

The bus routes will continue running until July 2028.

There had been 1,439 responses to a public consultation and all were opposed to the plans to remove funding for the bus routes.

Franklin-Wallis spoke to BBC Essex and said dropping the routes "would have been really life-changing for us because my wife and I both rely on the bus to get to the train station".

Nathan Loader, who lives in Stoke by Clare, Suffolk, said removing the 320 and 321 bus service across Essex would have meant he would have to drive up to two-and-a-half hours a day to take his daughter to school in Saffron Walden.

Loader instead can continue to drive his 16-year-old daughter 10 minutes to Steeple Bumpstead each morning for her to get the 07:42 service to her school.

He said: "I'm delighted. It was a worry because it really would have disrupted our lives. It would have been really difficult. It's really good news."

"We recognise the importance of bus services to connect communities and mitigate social isolation," said an Essex County Council spokesperson.

"We have a responsibility to ensure all services receiving funding are well-used and that taxpayers' money is being used responsibly."

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