Save Sevenoaks' Buses

Kent County Council

The 423 bus in New Ash Green

UPDATE:

The Green and Independent Group at Kent County Council (KCC) had cause to celebrate on 18th August, as another hurdle was cleared in their attempt to stop the administration at KCC from cutting subsidies to vital bus services across the county.

The Scrutiny Committee call in had been requested by Green Party councillor Rich Lehmann and seconded by Cllr Mike Sole of the Liberal Democrat group. In line with KCC Scrutiny Policy, Cllr Lehmann's arguments against the decision were primarily based around the impact the cuts will have to Kent residents and the fact that the council have not been provided with reliable estimates of how much money will be saved by the cuts once the costs of mitigation for the cuts are factored in.

After a two hour debate at County Hall, during which many Conservative group councillors acknowledged that circumstances had changed dramatically since the original budget decision in February, the Scrutiny Committee voted 9 to 2 in favour of referring the issue back to full council.

The decision will now be deferred until September, and the issue will be open to further scrutiny from all 81 councillors at September's full council meeting. One immediate effect of this is that all the services lined up for subsidy withdrawal will now be likely to run until the end of the year.

After the meeting Cllr Rich Lehmann said “I am delighted and surprised in equal measure at the outcome of today's meeting. To have such strong support for our cause from so many of the Conservative councillors on the committee underlines the fact that people power works. If enough residents contact their elected representatives about issues like this to show opposition, they have the power to change opinions.”

“I hope that next month's full council meeting will give these cuts the scrutiny they deserve in light of the hugely challenging times households across Kent are now facing. These buses are relied upon by some of the most vulnerable residents across our county, and to push ahead with the cuts when there are still so many unanswered questions relating to how much the council will actually save and what the carbon impact will be would be unnecessarily reckless.”

Find out more:
Read the full story on Kent Online

Watch the KCC Scrutiny Committee meeting


THE PETITION:

Massive cuts to bus services across Sevenoaks (and the whole of Kent) have been proposed by Kent County Council including services for disabled people; Kent Karrier services. Read the Executive Decision Report which provides some background on funding and a list of routes that were consulted on: https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/documents/s109372/Report.pdf

In addition to the KCC bus cuts, several bus companies are cutting their services which exacerbates the problem, further limiting the options available for getting around the district.  

Our bus services provide thousands of journeys each year, helping get students to school, commuters to work, patients to hospital and vulnerable or isolated people to their families. These are the services that are likely to be affected, to greater or lesser extent, within and just outside of Sevenoaks:

  • 222 Wrotham, Ightham, Borough Green, Shipbourne to Tonbridge
  • 403 Otford to Tonbridge
  • 414 Darenth to Dartford
  • 423 New Ash Green to Dartford
  • 433 Bluewater, Longfield, Hartley to New Ash Green
  • 477 Orpington to Bluewater
  • 489 New Ash Green, Southfleet, Longfield, Gravesend
  • 474 Bluewater to Longfield
  • 475 Bluewater to Longfield
  • 502 West Malling to Wrotham School
  • Dartford & Gravesham Kent Karrier
  • E1 Edenbridge Town Service
  • HC3 Dunton Green to High Christie
  • North West Kent Karrier
  • S1 Westerham to Knole Academy
  • S11 Wilmington to Sevenoaks
  • S4 Edenbridge to Ide Hill
  • S41 Edenbridge to Sevenoaks schools
  • S8 Sevenoaks Bus Station to Sevenoaks schools
  • Sevenoaks Kent Karrier
  • T13 Wrotham Heath to Tunbridge Wells schools
  • T3 Knockholt to Tonbridge schools
  • Tonbridge and Malling Kent Karrier
  • TW1 Kemsing to Tunbridge Wells School
  • TW3 Shoreham to Bennet Memorial School
  • TW4 Westerham to Tunbridge Wells School
  • TW6 Knockholt to Tunbridge Wells School
  • TW7 Sevenoaks to Tunbridge Wells School
  • TW8 Edenbridge to Tunbridge Wells School

Kent County Council conducted a public consultation but were undeterred in pressing ahead with their cuts. Petitions have been organised across Kent and were presented by Green Councillors at KCC but fell on deaf ears. The Environment & Transport Cabinet Committee have already voted to approve the cuts so it seems unlikely that anything will change now but we must keep up the fight until the very end. Please add your name to the petition to get involved in opposing the bus cuts.

To: Kent County Council
From: [Your Name]

With an existing public transport crisis in rural parts of Sevenoaks, a lack of funding to support disabled people, rising fuel prices and the requirements for strong action on climate change, bus services need to be invested in, not cut.

I call on you to reverse your plans for cuts to our essential bus services and to invest in additional services that are urgently required.