West Suffolk Council has delivered a £30,000 grant to help fund a community transport scheme.
As part of the Voluntary Network’s transport initiative, which is designed to reduce loneliness and isolation, a dozen minibuses deliver services across West Suffolk. The scheme seeks to ensure that residents have a reliable way to take trips out to meet friends, go shopping, or attend appointments – preventing them from being stuck indoors.
However, vehicles in the charity’s service are encountering more off-road time due to ageing equipment and an increased likelihood of breakdowns.
To help address these issues, West Suffolk Council has delivered a £30,000 grant from the Government’s Rural England Prosperity Fund, allowing the charity to purchase a new 16-seater bus with full wheelchair accessibility.
According to the council, the vehicle is serving communities around Haverhill, where there is a rising demand for the service, while the older bus is being used as a reserve vehicle.
Comments
Cllr Indy Wijenayaka, Cabinet Member for Growth led the review said: ‘The Action Plan that we adopted late last year set out the steps we can take within our powers to ensure residents have access to public and community transport across West Suffolk. This grant for a better Connecting Communities bus is just one part of that plan.
She added: ‘This will help ensure people can meet up with friends, use and support local businesses and access other vital services.’
Caroline Wilson, managing director of The Voluntary Network, commented: ‘We have already had passengers feedback they would feel lost without our help. We provide a lifeline and having a new vehicle means we can offer a service that is more reliable to the people that need our support.’
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