Wotton-under-Edge cut off after vital 84/85 bus axe

Because Wotton-under-Edge lies on the wrong side of a “line on a map”, the region’s mayor said he couldn’t help pay to keep the service running.

Many people living in Wotton relied on the 84/85 bus to get to Yate, and then catch a train from there into Bristol.

Others living in rural parts of South Gloucestershire used the bus to access work, education and healthcare in Wotton. But the route was axed last month.

Dan Norris, the metro mayor of the West of England, faced repeated calls to chip in and keep the service running, from council leaders in both Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, whose border the bus used to cross.

He said however that the issue was “above my pay grade”.

The mayor, whose second job is MP for North East Somerset and Hanham, receives at least £178,000 — more than the prime minister.

His pay is also even higher than Sue Gray, Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, whose generous salary prompted a political uproar earlier this month.

Wotton-under-Edge lies on the wrong side of a “line on a map”, WECA mayor Dan Norris says  (Image: Newsquest)

Residents “adversely affected” by bus axe

Mr Norris was urged to review the funding decision on the 84/85, during a West of England Combined Authority committee meeting on Friday, September 20.

He was warned that many residents living in the region would be “adversely affected” by the loss of the service.

Martin Tucker, a retired mayor of Wotton-under-Edge, said: “The bus has been removed for 20 days and already local businesses have seen a big downturn in trade, with businesses talking about selling up in Wotton-under-Edge.

"This will adversely affect not just people in Wotton, but also people in surrounding towns and villages.

“This directly affects WECA’s residents and people who vote for the mayor.

"As leader of the transport authority, he owes it to his constituents and neighbours to fully understand the impact of the decision that has been made by the committee.”

The 84/85 bus was a circular route linking Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Horton, Hawkesbury Upton, Hillesley, Alderley, Wortley, Wotton-under-Edge, Kingswood, Charfield, Leyhill, Cromhall, and Wickwar.

The route was operated by the Big Lemon, but ran for the last time on August 31.

A new two-hourly service was launched to replace the axed route, linking Hawkesbury Upton, Wickwar, Charfield, Chipping Sodbury and Yate.

Westlink minibuses are also operating in the area, but the dial-a-ride service has suffered problems with passengers struggling to book trips.

Crucially, the new service won’t go to Wotton-under-Edge, as the town lies just outside of the West of England region, in Gloucestershire.

The 84/85 bus from Wotton and Yate ran for the last time on August 31. Image: The Big Lemon CIC

Issues are "above my pay grade"

The mayor said rules around bus services that cross local authority borders were “not fit for purpose”, and needed wider reform.

Mr Norris said: “Unfortunately the rules as they stand are not fit for purpose. It’s certainly something that needs a solution, and it does create difficulties.

“You’d think with something like transport, there may be some kind of rules that we could get into existence that would allow some degree of flexibility and cooperation — because these are lines on maps, human-made things, rather than about human beings, wherever they live.

“I continue to try and get that change. I could have a whole lot of extra meetings, although they do happen anyway, about all sorts of things, but I don’t think it will fundamentally change the situation.

"I’m elected and accountable and responsible to the voters of the West of England, not the communities beyond, even if I’m sympathetic.

"That’s just the reality of the situation.

“We need to deal with this in a way that’s meaningful and proper, and I don’t want to give false hope, because it’s kind of above our pay grade.

"It needs some decisions made elsewhere, but I will certainly be trying to get those decisions made.”

According to Gloucestershire council bosses, they repeatedly tried to cooperate with Mr Norris and his combined authority on agreeing a funding deal to keep the 84/85 bus running, but were “just met with a brick wall”.

South Gloucestershire meanwhile had agreed to help fund the route.

Speaking during a meeting of Gloucestershire County Council on September 11, Councillor Philip Robinson, cabinet member for bus transport, said: “It’s impossible to get anything out of them.

"It was clearly obvious that they had no intention of saving that route.

“South Gloucestershire did, we definitely did. Now that it’s gone, there’s just no chance of them speaking with us.

"We’ll try, I’ll put the team onto it, but we were just met with a brick wall.

“It’s easy to speak to South Gloucestershire.

"But because of the arrangements of the combined authority and the levy for transport, it’s a problem between South Gloucestershire and WECA.

"We need cooperation from WECA, and it has not been forthcoming. We’ve tried to speak to Dan Norris on loads of occasions.”

He added that Gloucestershire has successfully reached deals with other neighbouring councils on funding several cross-border bus services.