AN MP has condemned government cuts to bus services after official figures showed East Cleveland had seen the biggest drop in journeys in England.

Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Tom Blenkinsop spoke out after Department for Transport figures showed in Redcar & Cleveland more than a quarter - 27 per cent - fewer bus journeys were made in 2014-15 compared with 2009-10, the biggest decline in England.

He said: “For many people across Redcar and Cleveland buses are a vital part of their daily lives - helping them to get to work, attend doctors’ appointments or collecting the weekly shop. These routes are often the ones people and communities need most, where no alternative transport exists.

“To halt the decline we need to see, as part of the Government’s Buses Bill, powers given to communities to plan fares, routes and timetables and investment to reflect local needs.”