Following consultation it is good to see that Worcestershire County Council has made some major changes to its plans to cut bus subsidies and services for older people and vulnerable adults.

The council received 8,500 responses to the bus subsidies questionnaire and over 1,000 responses to the consultation concerning support for vulnerable adults.

As a result of all our efforts, the council has now committed £1.1million to retain those bus routes that are vital to local residents.

Clearly, many people care passionately about services for the most vulnerable members of our community and want to be involved in safeguarding them for the future.

While the council’s U-turn is to be welcomed, finances remain tight and there are no easy answers or quick fixes.

We urge the council to do now what they should have done months ago – talk to individual service providers and their users about how they can work together with local communities to develop new ways of supporting older people and vulnerable adults.

Cathy Jackson-Read

West Worcestershire Liberal Democrats

Malvern Wells