Hucknall councillor says council rules mean no on-demand service rollout to replace axed Connect buses

Nottinghamshire Council launched the NottsBus On Demand service as a pilot in Retford, Ollerton and Newark and in the evening in Mansfield.

It was then rolled out to West Rushcliffe in May and now there are calls to have the service expanded into more areas, including Nuthall and Watnall.

However, there has been no talk of the service being considered for Hucknall, despite a number of residents in west Hucknall calling for it as a means of replacing the Connect buses that were axed when the service was reduced earlier this year – leaving people in town estates with no evening or Sunday services.

These calls have increased following the news last week that the Conservative-run county council confirmed it would not be providing the £150,000 subsidy Trentbarton has asked for to restore the Connect services to their previous full levels.

Your Dispatch has now asked if Hucknall councillors will be calling for the town to be included in any expanded roll-out of the on demand scheme.

But Coun Dave Shaw, Ashfield Independent member for Hucknall West at both County Hall and Ashfield Council, says council rules make this impossible.

He said: “Every Hucknall resident will know the Ashfield Independents have been fighting to reverse the Hucknall Connect cuts to our estates and villages.

“This is a key priority for us as Trentbarton have already said they will run evening and Sunday services on the route, if the Tories cough up the £150,000 annual subsidy.

“This might sound like a lot of money, but when you consider just how many millions their proposed offices is overspent at Top Wighay Farm, it is peanuts.

“The on-demand services are for areas without a bus service at all or for areas where the bus service has been axed altogether.

“According to the council’s own rules, Hucknall cannot currently put forward any proposals for an On Demand service to replace the Connect service cuts.

“We have asked the Tories to reconsider this and look into the feasibility of putting on a service in Hucknall in the evenings and on Sundays to replace the bus cuts they are responsible for.”