CAMPAIGNING councillors have launched a cross-party crusade for a better bus service for parts of West Rayleigh.
The move follows the re-routing of the First Group No 24 service, from Southchurch, to serve the new Asda store in Rawreth Lane.
This has cut back the number of buses serving the Little Wheatleys and London Road areas of the town to just two an hour – the lowest number since the Second World War.
Joan Mockford, Conservative councillor in Sweyne Park Ward, and Chris Lumley, Lib Dem member for Grange, have joined forces to fight for improved bus services in the area.
A joint petition, with hundreds of signatures, was handed by Rayleigh Tory MP Mark Francois to First Essex Buses’ managing director, Bob Dorr.
Mr Dorr has agreed to attend a public meeting to listen to the concerns of local people. It is being held at St Michael’s Church, in Sir Walter Raleigh Drive, on Tuesday, June 17, at 7.30 pm
Clearly the meeting could be an important step in getting the bus shifted back. However we were puzzled by another part of the Echo article:
First Essex Buses said the route was changed because of pressure to provide a service to the new Asda store, in Rawreth Lane, and it would not be viable to provide an extra service.
When this was discussed at the West Area Committee earlier this year, the bus company didn’t claim then that they were ‘under pressure’. What’s changed since then?