BUS VICTORY

A new service run by Community
Transport Calderdale is set to be launched on August 30 after years of
campaigning by various community groups and councillors.In
partnership with Metro and local councillors the new service, which will
not compete with any existing transport providers, will link
communities with health centres and supermarkets as well as bringing
people into Brighouse town centre.The bus will start at Clifton
and go to Brighouse Bus Station, Tesco, Sainsburys, Thornes Park,
Crowtrees, Lower Edge and Rosemount Estate.Paul Jones, chief
officer with Community Transport Calderdale, said: “Although the bus
will go past some existing routes it will not shadow any route entirely.“Residents
in Thornes Park don’t have a bus going anywhere near their homes and
because of the geographical area they can’t physically get on the bus
that travels at the bottom because of the steep hills
.”Funding for the service has been provided by the social enterprise investment fund and Calderdale Council.
“We have tried to cover all the areas we can with the funding we have and
the time scale,” said Mr Jones. “We were looking at a route to go
through Waring Green but First Bus put in an objection because it
already has an existing route so we won’t be covering there.”Councillor
Colin Stout (Ind, Brighouse) was absolutely delighted that the service
was covering Clifton, an issue he had been tackling for 12-years. “It
has been a long time coming and it has had to be done through a
voluntary organisation with a grant from Central Government but at the
end of the day we have got the service. The private companies didn’t
think it was economically viable so we need to make sure people use it
because we have it for two years,” he said.Clifton resident Joan
Baldry said they had had such a poor service for some time and it was
thanks to Coun Colin Stout that they had got this. “I am very pleased.
We are just waiting to see how often it is going to run and what days.
”Councillor Christine Beal (Con, Rastrick) also welcomed news of the service which
would be of great benefit to the area after their service was cut three
years ago.“This once again shows what can be done by a determined
community working effectively together with the appropriate authorities
to secure the services they want and need,” she said. “I’m absolutely
thrilled that this excellent new service has finally come about which at
least fills some of the gaps in service left by the 2008 service
withdrawals.”Barbara Jackson, spokeswoman for residents at
Thornes Park, said it was great news. “We are very grateful to all the
work of Coun Christine Beal. It is just a shame three of our elderly
residents that fought so hard to get it have died,” she said.One
of the residents was Molly Sugden who died aged 87 four months ago. She
felt so strongly about the situation that she wrote to the then
Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. “Molly was very vocal. I think she would have been very pleased,” said Mrs Jackson.