Hertfordshire Liberal Democrat County Councillor reacted with outrage as the Conservatives finally admitted at the 8 July Highways Panel that they were looking at saving up to £880,000 by stopping all county council supported bus routes after 6.30pm every day and ceasing them on Sundays from next year.

Two years ago the County Council voted through bus cuts of £800,000, and in February this year were forced to withdraw further proposed bus cuts of £200,000 after they admitted they did not know who would be affected and which routes would go.

Now in a report to the Highways and Waste Panel on Tuesday 8 July they have proposed a consultation that could see 39 services affected and cut 200,000 passengers journeys a year.

The Liberal Democrats have promised to fight the service reductions.

‘Bus cuts on this scale are totally unacceptable. There has been no attempt to review routes to save them or maybe even an increase fares by a few pence to save the service: it’s just a cross the board cut of everything that runs at night or Sunday and the Tories should be ashamed at even suggesting it,’ said the Liberal Democrat Leader.