The crisis over Ludlow’s buses is growing daily. I have spoken to Alan Radnor, owner of R&B buses this morning. He runs the current town bus services, the 701 and 722. He confirmed that, as reported in the press, the last town services will run on Saturday and has given the required formal notice of termination. The Transport Commissioners have also confirmed to the Shropshire Star that he has given the legal period of notice. What happens next? I rang Shropshire Council and was told that it is “not able to get involved” until the bus service stops running. After that, it will try to sort out a replacement service and that might take a week. This differs from the assurances in the Shropshire Star by Claire Wilde, the Conservative cabinet member in charge of buses, who says the council is prepared to “step in at short notice” to solve the problem. Short notice? The Traffic Commissioners have confirmed that they have received the legal 56 days’ notice that bus operators have to give to cancel a service. That’s two months in which Shropshire Council has been sitting on its hands while elderly residents of Ludlow worry that they might…
Please see my correction and apology for this article. I am appalled by the way that Shropshire Council is treating the residents of Ludlow. It is stripping jobs and services out of the town and concentrating them in Shrewsbury. We are not getting our fair share for the council tax we pay.