THE future of bus services subsidised by Warrington Borough Council looks set to be secure.

Currently Warrington Borough Council spends £289,916 annually on subsidies for 27 services, but officials have warned of a 'bleak future' financially, as the authority is expected to lose £51.5million due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

When asked if subsidised bus services would be cut in the event of the Council having to make savings, officials said there were 'no plans' to do so.

A spokesperson said: “Our priority throughout the current crisis has been to work closely with all bus operators, and the Department for Transport, to ensure the continuation of bus services for key workers to use.

“More recently this work has continued with bus services now restored to a level close to that available prior to the pandemic.

"In line with government guidance, we have maintained previous payments for subsidised services and combined these with additional payments, received via Covid Bus Service Support Grant (CBSSG) monies, which have been awarded to both bus operators and local transport authorities by the government. There are no plans for this to change.

“In Warrington, subsidies are paid towards a wide range of services, which otherwise would not be commercially viable – these include evening services within the main urban area, services in rural parts of the borough throughout the day and evening, and also towards weekend services.”

None of the subsidised services run on Sundays, but timetables and schedules are outside the control of councils as they are dictated by bus operators themselves.

The Warrington Guardian understands that while no plans are in place to alter the schedules of subsidised services, bus companies are analysing data on passenger numbers during the pandemic – so some timetables could be changed.

The full list of routes the receive some level of subsidy includes: 23A, 1, 2, 3, 15,16, 17, 21E, 26E/27E, 22A, 32, 5, X30, 2, 3,8,11,12, 21A, 25, 28E, 8, 47, 8/9B, 191, 192/193.