I am writing to alert your readers to the North Yorkshire County Council public consultation on proposed reductions to bus service subsidy that was launched in August and to urge them to make their views known. The proposals aim to reduce support to bus services in the County by £1.1m.

Of particular interest to your readers are the proposals for Pride of the Dales Bus Services 72 and 74 serving residents, visitors and businesses in Wharfedale. It is proposed to stop the subsidy to Bus Service 74 which runs between Ilkley and Grassington and replace the service with a Dial-a-Ride service to meet local demand as necessary. For Bus Service 72 it is proposed to reduce the subsidy – reducing journeys between Grassington and Skipton from 12 to eight per day and between Grassington and Buckden from seven to four per day.

The consultation papers state that during 2013-13 these services carried around 113,000 passengers. The main reason given for stopping the subsidy for Bus Service 74 is “Information provided by the operator indicates that the service has high seasonal variations in usage suggesting leisure use which is a low priority for the Council”.

I am not convinced that the Council understands the value that leisure, tourism and visitors bring to the County and in particular to Wharfedale.

The proposals will make it significantly more difficult for walkers and other visitors to access Upper Wharfedale without a car – and fewer visitors means less money going into the local economy and what that means for the viability of local shops, businesses and jobs.

And they have not considered the wider social, economic and environmental impacts and resulting costs of their proposals, not only for Wharfedale villages but also for neighbouring towns across the county boundary in West Yorkshire.

There is a risk that the unforeseen consequences of their proposals could end up costing the Council more than the £1.1m savings they are seeking to make from their Public Transport budget.

I would urge your readers to complete the online consultation questionnaire and make NYCC aware of their views. The consultation period ends on November 25, 2013, and any decisions made on the local bus changes will be implemented from April 7, 2014. Copies of questionnaire and consultation papers are available from www.northyorks.gov.uk website. More information is also available from 0845 8727374.

Jan Stallworthy, Wharfedale Court, Ilkley