Full News Report

24th April 2025

MP takes up issue of axed village bus service

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: New South East Cornwall MP Anna Gelderd says that the decision 

to stop the No.73 bus service passing through Morval and Widegates will impact 

residents in their everyday life

Picture: Anna Gelderd ©House of Commons

SOUTH East Cornwall’s first-ever Labour MP is refusing to accept that Morval’s No.73 bus service has to be scrapped because of financial restraints.

Anna Gelderd has told Laura Storey, the clerk to Morval Parish Council, that she wants answers to a number of questions before agreeing with Cornwall Bus Service that the route serving Morval and Widegates is uneconomical.

Ms Gelderd said that the service change would have an impact on residents and she told the Parish Council that a number of constituents had already expressed concerns.

“I have raised the matter with both Cornwall Council and Go South West, particularly given the Government announcement for a record £10,589,782 in funding for (the) Cornwall Bus Service Improvement Plan and over £700,000 in Bus Service Operators Grant paid directly to the operators,” she said. 

“In light of this, I am in the process of organising further meetings with Vicky Fraser, service director, Connectivity and Environment at Cornwall Council, to discuss this and the cancellation of the service in detail.

“Whilst I understand that commercial considerations must be taken into account, is there a reason why it is not possible to include a stopping point at these locations, given that they already have existing bus services passing through them?”

Ms Gelderd said that Cornwall had received more then £10-million in Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP) funding, with a further £700,000 paid to bus operators, so she was demanding clarification on how much of that money would go towards direct funding of bus services by Go Cornwall in South East Cornwall. 

“I would also appreciate an insight into what constitutes a ‘commercial’ route, that I presume must be self-sustaining, versus a routes that might benefit from government subsidisation,” she said.

Ms Gelderd said that she would be happy to meet the bus operators and had also raised the issue with Cornwall Council’s chief executive officer Kate Kennally.

She added: “I am concerned about the effect these changes have had against the wider lack of regular, convenient public transport linking rural areas in South East Cornwall. 

“I appreciate that this is a complicated situation, and that any changes to established timetables can cause a great deal of uncertainty, particularly when they impact essential travel to shops, medical appointments, and the wider community.

“Access to public transport is not a luxury, it is a lifeline, especially in areas such as ours where many residents rely on these services for day-to-day independence and well-being.”