A MIDDLEWICH councillor is hoping for ‘joined-up thinking’ as Cheshire East Council gives the go-ahead for a cost-cutting review of its bus services.

Cllr Mike Parsons, CEC ward member for Middlewich, is a regular bus user and says the town’s 37 and 42 services are not meeting the needs of its residents, who are also still awaiting results of a transport consultation held in September.

A report says the review, which aims to save £1.58 million from April 2018, could pave the way for ‘holistic’ changes to network design rather than the usual ‘marginal changes’.

Cllr Parsons said: “They are going to look at it as a clean sheet of paper.

“[CEC highways cabinet member] David Brown and [CEC leader] Rachel Bailey have told us that they appreciate that Middlewich isn’t getting the best deal, but they aren’t saying anything more. At least they have taken it on board and we are not just getting the statutory answers.

“Cheshire East Council subsidise 42 bus services, and I said ‘is it just a coincidence that the Middlewich service is number 42?’.

“They will not use the service when it takes 50 minutes or an hour to get down the road. Nothing is ever thought out.

“I appreciate they are in a difficult position and I don’t expect miracles, but I just want to see a little more joined up thinking.

“They want to run around 100 bus stops, little realising that that is exactly why people aren’t using them.”

Surveys began in January, and a public consultation will run for eight to 10 weeks from this May, followed by implementation at the start of the 2018/19 financial year as approved at a cabinet meeting on February 7.

At the meeting, Labour Cllr Sam Corcoran and Middlewich First Cllr Bernice Walmsley both asked for surveys to be extended from current bus passengers to include those who don’t use the services.

Cllr David Brown, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for highways, said: “It’s a long time since we settled down and did a bus service review.

“Looking at the support that we put into buses and highlighted by the fact that one of the bus suppliers [GHA Coaches] went into receivership this summer, it’s time we take a proper look and re-evaluate what our bus services provides and the connectivity that we are going to get through that.”

Although it has been suggested that new services could be created, Cllr Brown suggested an emphasis on rural connectivity.