Labour council leader Tim Swift is backing calls from West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin for urgent action to save local bus services.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Transport, Tracy warns that the imminent end of the Bus Service Recovery Grant means that private bus operators are intending to withdraw hundreds of bus routes.

Councillor Tim Swift is warning that this could be disastrous for many Calderdale communities. “I fear that this will leave some communities without services, whilst others will see vital early and evening services lost. This will be really difficult for key shift workers, and can only add to the hardship already facing people suffering under the cost-of-living crisis”.

Now Cllr Swift is asking local MPs Holly Lynch and Craig Whittaker to get behind the campaign. “We need as many voices as possible to put pressure on the Government”, he said. “This cannot wait for the Conservative party to choose their new leader – we need action now to prevent cuts to essential bus services.”