Thursday 18-02-2016 - 10:16

 

 

 

I’m sure some of you will be aware that our local council are facing an  increasingly challenging financial climate. Over the next 5 years they need to  make savings of around £262m on top of what has already been agreed within  previous budget processes. As a result of continued cuts in funding by the  Government, along with rising costs the council will not have the financial  resources to meet its statutory obligations by April 2018 and therefore will  have to rely heavily on its reserves.

 

 

Unfortunately, due to the savings having to be made the council is set to withdraw all subsidies for bus services which will affect a wide range of service areas. With already poor transport links to the Ormskirk area, you, our students, could now be faced with an even more challenging and difficult journey each morning to attend University.

 

As already touched upon, the poor transport links to and from Ormskirk have always been a great challenge for students and this will only add to that challenge. Cuts like this always impact Institutions such as Edge Hill the most, due to the high number of local students we have. Add to this the fact that a high proportion of us come from low income backgrounds where a bus is just about affordable, and we have a real issue on our hands.

 

If a bus is cut where no train station is nearby, then what are you meant to do? You would have to be fortunate enough to live close enough to walk, to afford a taxi, to rely on parents/friends/partners for lifts, or have enough money to buy, tax and insure a car. Unfortunately I know this is not the case for most of our students who struggle for money, who have dependants, who do not live within walking distance, and who rely heavily on our local bus services as a means to attend University and better increase your chance of employment.

 

The consultation link below has been created by the local council and is focused on the impacts of this decision and what mitigation may be taken.

 

https://www.snapsurveys.com/wh/s.asp?k=145139791778

 

It would be amazing if you could take a few minutes to complete the consultation. If you have any further concerns you’d like to express then please email me direct (supresident@edgehill.ac.uk) so we can pull together any relevant information to submit our joint concerns to the local council.

 

Steven Rouke

President

Edge Hill Students’ Union