Several Bus Services in Flintshire at Risk of Being Cut Due to Funding Shortfall

SEVERAL bus services in Flintshire are at risk of being cut due to a reduction in Welsh Government funding and rising costs.
Financial support provided by the devolved government to ensure bus companies could continue to operate during the Covid pandemic came to an end earlier this year.
It was replaced instead by grants for local authorities to tender for non-commercial services, with North Wales councils collectively receiving £5.6m.
However, Flintshire Council has revealed some services in the county could still be scaled back despite a better financial outlook than was originally expected.
It comes after a senior official said in a report that an increase in contract costs and a shortfall in grant funding had led to a £317,000 budget pressure.
Katie Wilby, Flintshire’s chief officer for streetscene and transportation, said: “The purpose of this report is to update members on revenue pressures associated with the local bus discretionary budget for 2025/2026 financial year, whilst also informing of an in-year shortfall in Bus Network Grant (BNG) funding, along with options to mitigate these pressures.
“The report highlights available options to address the £270,000 shortfall for local bus, as well as a further £47,000 to address the regional shortfall of BNG.
“Whilst previously, it had been anticipated that there were likely to be significant changes to the commercial bus network in Wales from April 2024 as a result of inadequate funding, only minor service changes are now required.
“The region has an allocation of £5.6m for this financial year to procure commercially non-viable services, however, there is currently a regional shortfall of £187,000.
“As such, Flintshire are required to make savings of £47,000 this financial year to cover their proportion of the shortfall.”
In relation to the local bus budget, she added: “In March 2024, the integrated transport unit re-procured local bus services which saw an increase in costs and a subsequent in-year budget pressure of £270,000.
“The effects of the Covid pandemic and the limited competition within the bus industry has resulted in a sharp rise in contract prices nationally.”
Several options are being considered to address the shortfall in BNG funding, including the reduction of the X4 Mold to Chester Business Park service to run just one bus on the route.
This would deliver an estimated saving of £72,000 over the remaining five months of the financial year.
Other possibilities include terminating the X4 at Broughton Retail Park, or removing Sunday services on the F10 Connah’s Quay to Chester and F11 Rhyl to Chester routes.
The main option being examined to claw back the £270,000 shortfall in the local bus budget is to terminate the number 5 service running from Mold to Ellesmere Port at Deeside Industrial Park.
Ms Wilby said: “This service was re-procured in March 2024 and the contract cost has risen to £360,000 per annum (£9,000 per month increase). The cost is high value for the number of passengers utilising the service.
“Whilst it would only be possible to determine accurate savings via a re-tendering exercise, it is thought that savings would be sufficient to mitigate the annual pressure.”
The report is due to be discussed by members of the council’s environment and economy scrutiny, with councillors being asked to support the cuts.
The local authority will be required to give notice to the Traffic
Commission before the changes can take effect.

By Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter