A GOVERNMENT decision to classify County Durham as a metropolitan area is to blame for cuts to free bus travel for elderly and disabled people, councillors heard yesterday.

Labour-run Durham County Council’s cabinet backed plans to charge the elderly and disabled 50p for local bus travel before 9.30am, Monday to Friday.

It is thought the changes will save £500,000 a year.

Councillors also agreed to begin consultation on axing half-price rail fares, which would save £50,000 a year.

But council chiefs blamed the cuts on County Durham being the only rural county to be classed as metropolitan by the Department for Transport.

Council leader Simon Henig said: “I’m sure residents of Weardale and Teesdale will be most interested to discover the Government believes they live in an urban area.

“It’s very unfortunate. I don’t think this has been satisfactory at all.”

Deputy leader Alan Napier said: “How we’re the only rural county to be categorised as a metropolitan area beggars belief.”

Senior councillors have lobbied for County Durham to be re-classified without success, the meeting at County Hall was told.

The bus fare change will come into force on Friday, April 1. Its impact will be reviewed over the following three months.

There are currently 128,000 concessionary pass holders in the county, but council bosses say fewer than one in ten concessionary travel journeys will be affected.

Councillor Neil Foster, cabinet member for regeneration and economic development, said: “This is the best deal we could get out of where we are and, reluctantly, I support it.”

County Durham’s set-up will still be more generous than the national scheme, which makes no provision for concessionary travel for disabled and elderly people before 9.30am, Monday to Friday.

Meanwhile, the cabinet agreed plans to save nearly £600,000 over four years by bringing the armslength County Durham Development Company into the council structure.

Fifteen staff will be moved across, with the transfer due to be completed by June and the service relaunched next February.

Durham County Council is facing cuts of £125m over the next four years and is planning to axe more than 1,600 jobs.