WARRINGTON Wolves chief Steven Broomhead has launched a scathing attack
on his former employers Warrington Borough Council, following the
decision to axe Sunday bus services.
The Warrington Wolves Chairman, who was once Chief Executive at the borough council, is extremely disappointed the club was not consulted by the council before a decision was taken to axe many Sunday evening services.
The cuts will be implemented, starting this weekend, just as the Wolves prepare for one of their biggest games of the season, against fellow title contenders Leeds Rhinos, while also screening England’s World Cup clash with Germany on the big screen.
“Our research has shown that nearly half of our supporters travel to games using the local bus services.
“I am extremely disappointed that this decision has been taken without any consultation with the club.
“It is also not environmentally friendly encouraging people back into their cars and I don’t think the council have thought this through properly.
“To wield the axe on the weekend of one of our biggest games is ludicrous.”
Mr Broomhead said he would be appealing to council leader Ian Marks and Chief Executive Diana Terris, to postpone the cutbacks until proper consultation had taken place.
3 Comments
“a decision was taken to axe many Sunday evening services” – the borough council is pulling *all* subsidy from Sunday bus services, so it seems misleading to suggest that the small handful of evening services remaining are there due to the largesse of WBC allowing them to continue. In fact, they only remain because neighbouring authorities continue to help subsidise these services.
I can only imagine how many people will be left standing at the interchange and bus stops all over the borough on Sunday evening because of the council’s half-hearted attempt to publicise the outcome of their decision.
Has the council made the final decision or the bus companies? Read today that the current Condem counil leaders have been happy take £205,000 in dividens over the past 3 years from the bus company whilst at the same time have CUT £150,000 from the budget !? Apparently the Labourites didn’t take dividends so that money could stay with the bus company for investement…. Never know what to believe though eh ?
As for the axe on the Sunday service I agree with Mr Broomhead and what worries me is the number of ‘unaware’ youngsters who will be stranded in Warrington this coming Sunday trying to get home from the Wolves match. I’ve already commented on the other news story about the axing of the bus service but luckily THANKS to the Warrington Worldwide Website I KNOW that the busses aren’t running this weekend so we have all arranged pick our kids up after the match rather than allow them to walk home through Warrington Town Centre to other areas of Warrington.
Maybe it wouldn’t be such a problem or worry if the town centre was a safer place to be like ‘they’ keep telling us but from what I’ve seen since traffic has been diverted through the side streets of Warrington since the start of united utilities road works I can say IT’S NOT NICE even in the day time. I now have to pass through what is supposed to be the ‘cultural quarter’ of Warrington between 4pm and 6pm and the corner of the ‘garden’ area near the Parr Hall is constantly littered with groups of drunks and what look like ‘druggies’ (sorry if that offends) waving their booze bottles and god knows what. Thanks to united utilities it has confirmed to me that parts of Warrington Town Center are nothing more than s*** holes and that’s in the day time with the protection of a car around me so god only knows what it’s like later or if you are on foot. Sorry for the rant but the next time one of the grots waves their bottles at me, runs infront of me or even stares at me menicingly again from a few feet away as I am waiting to turn right I may just run them over…..ok so I wont really as I’d be the one getting locked up 🙁
MAYBE PRIVATE BUS COMPANIES CAN HELP OUT FROM THE STADIUM AND FROM THE TOWN CENTRE ON A SUNDAY ON A REGULAR BASIS ???? ARE THERE ANY…? there is a need for a bus service for anyone who is able and willing and wants to make some money 🙂
Dizzy – the council owns the shares in WBT, and can also nominate non-executive directors to the board, but the bus company legally has to run at a profit. Sunday evening services aren’t generally profitable, so the council can subsidise services for which there is a social need. It may be the case that WBT have had to in effect put their tender price up because they have been asked by their shareholders (the council) to give more money to them in the form of share dividends. In which case, the council would not only to be blame for the tender cost increase but would also be making money in two seperate ways – through deciding not to subsidise services *and* then receiving more money in share dividends from the company.