Patients at Stratheden Hospital near Cupar could be denied visitors on Sundays because of “extremely disappointing” changes to bus services in mid-Fife, a North-East Fife councillor has claimed.
The council retendered the contracts for subsidised bus routes in mid-Fife, which will come into force from August 12.
It said that despite the challenge of continuing to provide regular bus services for communities when costs are increasing and budgets are decreasing, it had been able to maintain services to areas that may have otherwise lost their bus service.
But SNP Cupar councillor Karen Marjoram has expressed particular concern the 67A bus that runs on Sundays between Glenrothes and Cupar via Stratheden is to be axed “without any local consultation whatsoever” with people in the area.
She said there had been no consultation with users of the service, no consultation with either Springfield or Cupar community councils, and no consultation with elected members.
Fife Council has stressed that other buses still operate in the area on Sundays.
Mrs Marjoram said: “This is extremely disappointing, and I feel very strongly that the needs of patients in Stratheden, who welcome Sunday visitors, may well be denied that due to these changes.
“The needs of North-East Fife have been overlooked, as the decision-makers appear to have somehow not worked out that a bus service that comes under the “mid-Fife” umbrella may actually traverse the boundaries, and come into deepest, darkest North-East Fife.
“The impact also affects people in Kingskettle, who will now have to walk to Kettlebridge for an alternative, which, to an elderly person, is just unfeasable.
“I am extremely disappointed that this has happened, and will be asking questions of the decision-makers at my earliest opportunity.”
Meanwhile, leader of Fife Council’s opposition, SNP group leader Peter Grant, has added his voice to claims that Fife’s Labour administration has “twisted the facts” about cuts to bus services in mid-Fife.
He said: “These cuts were forced through without proper consultation with local councillors in the affected communities.
“At the time, SNP councillors were banned from telling people what the cuts would be because the contracts were still subject to commercial confidentiality. We were promised that we would be told when this confidentiality could be lifted.
“The administration sent out a politically unbalanced press statement claiming that services had been ‘maintained’.
“Despite earlier promises, the first I and many other local councillors heard about this being made public was when someone drew my attention to a story on the council website.
“This is a blatant attempt by Labour to get their spin into the press. The simple fact is that in February Labour voted to cut the budget for bus services in mid-Fife and the cuts and other service disruptions we’re about to see are a direct result of this.
“To boast that services are being maintained is like celebrating the fact that some people survived a war.”
Fife Council transport spokesman Pat Callaghan reiterated it had been a challenge to maintain services in the financial climate but was pleased that the council had been able to maintain a network in mid-Fife that keeps communities served.
He said the 64 Springfield to St Andrews bus service would continue serving Stratheden five times a day on Sundays. He said he took “strong exception” to Mr Grant’s claims.
He said it was “sheer hypocrisy” on the SNP’s part as Labour were trying to “undo” previous contract tenders by the SNP that raised south Fife transport costs. He said the moves being made now would save £250,000 every year for the next seven years.