Welsh Government ‘Helping Councils Over Axed Bus Services’

The Welsh Government will continue providing support to Wrexham and Denbighshire councils to help replace bus services in the wake of the area’s main operator going into administration.

Clwyd South AM Ken Skates has also set up a meeting with all three North East Wales authorities to discuss plans following the collapse of Ruabon-based GHA Coaches.

Mr Skates said: “The news of the demise of GHA Coaches came as a huge blow for our area, with more than 300 people being told their jobs had gone and thousands more who relied on their buses at risk of being stranded.

Echoing other views that communities are being cut off he added, “People in some of Clwyd South’s most rural and isolated areas, places like Glyn Ceiriog and Penley, have been severely affected, and that is something that the council needs to address urgently. Some of my constituents are effectively trapped until alternatives are provided.”

Mr Skates has arranged a meeting with Wrexham, Denbighshire and Flintshire councils to discuss ways forward. He added: “The Welsh Government has been working with councils to try to protect the bus network. We will continue to work collaboratively, including with the administrators, to minimise the effects of the firm entering administration.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said funding to local authorities under the Bus Services Support Grant, to help them to subsidise buses and community transport, has been maintained at £25m since 2013-14 despite ‘very challenging’ funding settlements from the Conservative Government at Westminster. Over that period, a number of councils cut their own budgets, the spokesperson added.

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport for Wrexham Council has also talked about the GHA collapse and given a recent update: “In the days since GHA Coaches went into administration, we have had a number of calls from members of the public concerned that certain routes were no longer being serviced – particularly rural routes around the south of the county borough.

“Funding is limited and we’re especially keen to focus on getting bus routes to those areas where there are currently no services at all.

“As well as having frequent meetings with bus companies who may be able to step in and pick up those routes lost. I’ve also arranged meetings with my counterparts in Flintshire and Denbighshire as we know this is a regional problem and not limited to the Wrexham area alone.

“At this time, our chief issues are finding what availability private and external companies have to take up the vacant services and the availability of funding to mitigate the loss of formerly tendered services. We are doing everything we can to fill those gaps and ease the impact the loss of those services has had.:

Cllr Bithell also confirmed he had written to Ken Skates AM requesting a meeting with him as soon as possible to discuss the issues.