CHESHIRE East Council and its partners are stepping up their efforts to improve how residents get around rural areas after securing £453,144 in funding.

The council received the fourth largest allocation from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) £7.6million Total Transport Pilot Fund and is now planning to use it for studies to see how public sector road passenger transport can be improved in rural areas.

Caroline Simpson, executive director of economic growth and prosperity at Cheshire East Council, said: “Our bid, Transport and Rural Integration in Cheshire East (TRICE), demonstrates the importance of developing a viable rural transport network for the 50 per cent of our residents who live in rural areas.

“Many of these residents rely on passenger transport services.

“The money will help to identify what scope there is for integration across road passenger transport services commissioned by the public sector, including home-to-school transport, local bus support and non-emergency patient transport.

“It provides a great opportunity to work with partner organisations, particularly clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), to explore how to co-ordinate and integrate transport resources.

“This will ensure our transport is more efficient, of better quality and is more effective at meeting the needs of residents.”

Both the NHS Eastern Cheshire CCG and South Cheshire CCG backed the Council’s bid.

Neil Evans, commissioning director of the NHS Eastern Cheshire CCG, said: “The opportunities brought by this fund will further support and enhance the existing work currently under way by all health and social care partners in eastern Cheshire.”