Campaigners have expressed disappointment that Test Valley Borough Council will not be debating changes to local bus routes at its January meeting. A motion submitted by me and Mike McGarry calling for a review of the changes and the subsidy given by Hampshire County Council will be deferred to the council’s Overview and Scrutiny committee for consideration.

It is a pity we will not be able to discuss the proposals now. I would now expect the committee to look at this and report back to full council as soon as possible. The county council must accept Andover is a growing town and needs an adequate public bus network. Not everyone has access to cars; many residents rely on the buses. We should be encouraging everyone to reduce CO2 emissions by using cars less and buses more and yet the county is sanctioning by its actions a reduction in bus services.

Councillors will still discuss the matter at the Andover Forum on 25th January when Cllr Rod Bailey has called for a report on the proposals to be presented.