Evening bus services saved - but only for a month

At a meeting of the finance, policy and resources committee last night

(Monday) the Mayor, Cllr Nick Ellwood, said he had met with Steve Barnett, Eastbourne Buses managing director, to discuss the crisis.

As a result of the discussion, Cllr Ellwood claimed the cuts came after a withholding of money by district and borough councils.

Cllr Ellwood told the finance committee meeting that council subsidies of journeys for disabled people and pensioners had been lowered from 80 per cent to 51 per cent, so Eastbourne Buses could no longer afford to run the service.

Cllr Ellwood said: 'It is the district and borough councils which are at fault, they shafted the bus company big time.

'The Wealden, Lewes, Rother and Eastbourne district and borough councils got together for the interest of the councils rather than the public.

'But Steve Barnett has given us a cast iron guarantee that if they were given the right support they could actually increase their services.'

The bus journeys were due to be slashed after September 30, with the last service from Hailsham to Eastbourne leaving at 8.45pm not 10.11pm.

And the last journey from Eastbourne to Hailsham was changing from 11pm to 6.40pm.

Cllr Ellwood said 1,500 was needed to keep the services running while intense negotiations went on.

He added: 'Time is not on our side, we can't get this sorted in 13 days.'

The committee agreed to the motion for 1500 funding to be released from the town's community contingency fund.

It was also suggested funding for the services could be provided by working with Polegate and Willingdon town councils on the issue.