Blackburn town centre building works blamed for bus service cuts (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Blackburn town centre building works blamed for bus service cuts

10:17am Friday 10th July 2009 in

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BUS bosses have sparked fury by cutting more services – and have blamed the building work taking place in Blackburn town centre.

Lancashire United said Blackburn town centre was being avoided by passengers in favour of Preston, Bolton and Manchester.

The firm is axing the number 10 and 11 services, which connect the Wensley Fold and Witton areas with Blackburn town centre, and more cutbacks are looming as it carries out the second review of its routes in six months.

Traders and council bosses insist visitor numbers were “holding up well” despite the disruption caused by work on the new £66million shopping centre.

But Lancashire United’s commercial director David Wilson said the regeneration work was “a significant factor” in the decision to cut the routes from August 15.

He said: “We believe that the redevelopment work being carried out on The Mall's shopping centre and Blackburn market means fewer people are travelling into Blackburn town centre. Passengers have told us that they're now going more regularly to other shopping centres like Preston, Bolton and Manchester.”

Town hall bosses hit back, insisting everyone would reap the rewards for the building work.

Tory Coun Alan Cottam, Blackburn with Darwen’s executive member for regeneration, said: “We are in the middle of a major redevelopment. "When it is finished we will have the most up-to-date, compact town centre in the whole of Lancashire.”

Coun Cottam said visitor numbers to the town centre were within one per cent of the same time last year, when building work had yet to begin.

He said he hoped the firm’s decision would only be a “short-term measure”.

David Wilkinson, chair of Blackburn Town Centre Forum and the manager of Marks and Spencer, on King William Street, said visitor numbers were “surprisingly positive” given the recession and suggested people were using other forms of transport to get into town.

And Ronnie McLean, development manager at the Mall Blackburn, said: “Overall footfall figures remain good."

In February Lancashire United made sweeping changes to its services in a move it said would “safeguard” the network.

But now more bus-users are to be hit by even more.

Mr Wilson added: “We introduced a major revamp of our services in February and we hoped that would be enough to safeguard the network.

“However the economic downturn and a number of other significant factors have had an even more dramatic impact then we could have predicted. We‘ve had to conduct another review of all our services.

"It is likely that some will see frequencies reduced. We'd rather not have to take such measures but we need to protect the whole of our network and not allow significantly unprofitable services to jeopardise the long-term future of the majority of our routes."

Bus operators are also furious that Lancashire’s councils have cut the amount it receives for running the concessionary fares scheme.

Mr Wilson added: “It is having a significant impact on our revenue. We are now being expected to carry senior citizens for less than the children’s fare.”

But pensioners say they are being left isolated by the funding tug of war.

Vivien Bromley, 63, of Livingstone Road, Blackburn, said: “What are people supposed to do? I do not have access to a car - are we expected to just sit at home?

“A substantial number of people are going to be struggling.

“We have been these passes as a concession to the over 60s - but personally I would rather pay for my ticket and keep the service.”