CONCERNED councillors have joined the battle against plans to axe funding for vital bus services.

As your Gazette has reported, every single bus route serving Upton-upon-Severn is under threat as part of the county council proposals.

Bus users have already collected hundreds of signatures on a petition against the plans and now Upton Town Council has written an official response to the county council labelling the proposed cuts “disproportionate”

and “socially divisive”.

It warns the cuts would hit the most vulnerable in society hardest, increase social isolation and throttle the bustling tourist trade Upton depends so heavily on.

“The economic and social damage to the town and its residents would far outweigh any savings that might be achieved,” it says.

A total of 88 routes are currently subsidised in Worcestershire, including the 41-43 and 362-364 services that carry more than 330,000 people a year between Upton, Malvern and Worcester.

Upton’s county council representative Roger Sutton is also opposing the cuts.

“I cannot believe that the county council could arrive at a decision that would leave no public transport in Upton,” he said. “There has already been a huge volume of response and we need to keep that going.”