Leaders of a volunteer-run bus service have spoken of their dismay after having their last-ditch appeal for a £10,000 share of Government windfall funding to keep it running to the end of the tourist season rejected.
Moorsbus director Helen Gundry said the consequences of the decision of the North York Moors National Park Authority’s finance committee would be felt as soon as September, when “over a thousand of people won’t be able to get to the protected area”.
Ms Gundry, who has secured many tens of thousands of pounds annually to keep Moorsbus afloat since the park authority divested its responsibility for the service it set up in the 1980s, said while volunteers had raised £26,000 to run the July and August network, £10,000 was still needed for the September service.
Moorsbus original aim was to link towns and cities to the with the picturesque villages and attractions of the national park on Sundays and Bank Holidays when there were no other public transport services, but in recent years has been forced to review its routes partly due to increasing issues finding funding.
The meeting earlier this week considered how to distribute a one-off grant of £440,000 from the Government, which saw members agree up to £15,000 to fund a review of targeted transport provision in the national park.
The majority of members said providing Moorbus with funding directly to keep services afloat would not provide a sustainable solution to transport issues in the national park, and called for the company to provide evidence of a clear long-term strategy that secures its future viability.
They said the review would examine changes in passenger demand over many years and the direction set by the National Park Management Plan.
Members also recognised the commitment and hard work of the volunteers that support Moorsbus and the authority’s historic relationship with the brand, recognising the work that Moorsbus does in terms of seasonal transport provision.
After learning of the decision, Ms Gundry said she felt
“frustrated with decision-makers who don’t personally have to depend on buses to get around, and so won’t help with funding”.
She said:
“We have told the national park authority, very clearly and in detail, how to measure the value of Moorsbus, on the essential journey to net zero, and for physical and mental health, and to support the visitor economy.
“But they refuse to listen, and they have now deprived many others of access to the Park, which is a national right for everyone to use.”
Moorsbus says in the Ryedale area alone, nearly 20 per cent of households do not own a car, up in Redcar and Middlesborough it was nearer to four in ten.
Mrs Gundry said:
“The park authority had a huge extra grant from the Government this year. The targeted transport is already funded to around £50,000 per year. If funds are stretched, how can they think of spending on a review of targeted transport at a cost £15,000?”
A meeting of the North York Moors National Park Authority’s finance committee heard £15,000 of £440,000 which had become available following extra Government funding would be spent on helping Moorsbus secure its services despite a last-ditch appeal from the community interest company.
In March a meeting of the authority had heard Moorsbus was facing a cash crisis and was running a “very minimal timetable”.
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