Financial pressure at Nottingham City Council (NCC) that has led it to issue a Section 114 notice could result in cuts to bus services and facilities in the conurbation, according to proposals published by the local authority.
A variety of potentially damaging plans are captured by a consultation that ends on 16 January. Among them are the closure of two park-and-ride sites, removal of NCC funding from the Medilink service, and switching off real-time bus information displays.
NCC has what it says is an over £50 million black hole in its FY2024/25 budget. That gap must be closed to meet the legal requirement to set a balanced budget by 11 March, and the council has thus asked the government for exceptional financial support.
Over half of the funding for Medilink, operated by CT4N, comes from NCC, with the remainder from the NHS. If NCC’s support is withdrawn, the local authority says it “will work with the NHS trust on how the service may look in the future.”
Medilink operates up to every 10 minutes. In addition to a pair of medical facilities, it serves Queens Drive and Wilkinson Street park-and-ride sites. The former is slated for closure under the proposed cuts, along with Racecourse park-and-ride, which is served by two Nottingham City Transport bus routes.
A related proposal calls for withdrawal of the Easylink demand-responsive service, along with a reduction of the contracted Linkbus network to provide a “minimum service level.” A school route and one local service are also slated to go under the plans.
The Easylink, Linkbus and Medilink proposals would save £583,000 in FY2024/25 and £717,000 in FY2025/26, council papers show. Closure of the park-and-ride sites, removal of funding from Victoria bus station, and changes to bus stops in the city would deliver savings of £158,000 and £342,000 over those respective periods.
Switching off real-time displays would see alternative timetable and disruption information provided by printed posters and social media. The plans also call for reduction or removal of on-street Robin Hood Card ticket machines. Use of those has “significantly reduced” and alternative ticket outlets are available, NCC says.
NCC notes in minutes of an Executive Board meeting held on 19 December to discuss its budget strategy that Nottingham “has high deprivation and low levels of car ownership, so reductions in bus provision will have a major impact, particularly on the elderly and disabled.”
The local authority has seen its funding from central government fall by around £100 million per year over the past 10 years. Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance Cllr Audra Wynter adds that there “is a national funding crisis in local government.”
NCC’s core spending power has declined by 28.2% in real terms since 2013/14 compared to a 19.4% average drop for all councils in England. Multiple other English LAs are said to be at risk of filing Section 114 notices.
