A VOLUNTARY organisation has called a public meeting over fears that one of the main bus routes serving North Yorkshire’s county town could be at risk.

There are fears that when the council goes ahead with proposed cuts to subsidised routes, it will also have a knock-on effect on connecting, unsubsidised bus services - potentially placing them in jeopardy as well.

Hambleton Over Fifties Forum is concerned that Northallerton’s circular bus route, the number 74, may be significantly scaled back if cuts go ahead to the 54 service connecting Richmond with Northallerton, which is set to have its council subsidy reduced. The charity has called a public meeting to discuss the issue on January 20.

Paul Fisher, chairman of the forum, said bus services in towns stopped receiving subsidies about two years ago. He said since then bus routes around the town had been steadily reducing.

He said: “Northallerton used to have two or three services that ran around the town and now it’s fallen to one.”

He added it would particularly impact on older residents, as well as businesses relying on local trade within the town.

“Northallerton is a county town and this is happening at a time when parking charges have been put up and the air quality isn’t great and now we have the possibility of not being served with a full bus service,” he said.

“If you’re elderly and your GP has advised you not to drive, how do they manage to get to a doctor’s appointment or elsewhere?

“A lot of people have moved into Northallerton because of the services that aren’t available in the countryside and then they are finding the services still aren’t there.”

It is understood Procters Coaches, which runs the 74, is unable to make any formal decision on its Northallerton route until it receives official confirmation on North Yorkshire County Council’s proposals.

The council is having to axe half a million pounds from subsidised bus services this year, coming on top of £2m which was slashed from subsidies last year as it attempts to make multi-million pound savings. The county council needs to make cuts of £82.5m by 2019/20 on top of the £91.1m savings made since 2011/12.

Hambleton Over Fifties Forum will be holding its meeting in the Cottage Room of Northallerton Methodist Church on Wednesday, January 20, at 2pm.