Writing to the Prime Minister..

In Summer 2025, Councillors Liam and Sue went on the 61 buses numerous times, and met many residents, to hear their views on how losing the 61 bus would affect them.

They spoke to a local resident who lives in Allbrook, who was very upset about the upcoming removal of the 61 service.

It was the only bus service running through Allbrook Hill and she relied on it to get to not only Eastleigh, but also Winchester, and the hospital when needed.

So she told them that she had written a letter to her local MP for Eastleigh, and after a while, received a response. However the response she had received was, in her own words: "something that left her deflated."

So she said that she had decided she was going to write to the Prime Minister instead, and see if she got a response.

She wrote to the Prime Minister in December, not expecting a reply! However, this month, she received this letter below, from the Bus Briefing, Correspondence and Partnership Hub, of the Department for Transport:

This is a reassuring response from the top of the chain, showing they are committed to improving services, which in turn will make people more sociably mobile and combat isolation in rural areas.

In this letter they mention the Local Authority Bus Grant, and explain how Hampshire County Council will be allocated £45 million from this, over the next three years, to help services in "whichever way they wish". This works out at £8,270,766 per year, for revenue services (which the 61 would come under)

In Hampshire County Council's press release, Councillor Lulu Bowerman, Cabinet Member for Highways and Passenger Transport at the County Council, is quoted as saying that they will use this funding to "invest in improvements that will make bus travel more frequent, cleaner, and more reliable, bringing real benefits for residents" They also want to use it to help increase bus usage.

However, in their article it also says the following:

"This national funding must be directed by local authorities towards specific service improvement and cannot be used to provide long-term subsidies for commercial bus services"

Read more of the HCC article below:

https://www.hants.gov.uk/news/20251218buses

This statement seems to contradict what the Department for Transport has said in their letter to our Allbrook resident.

So who is correct?

Both County Councillor Jonathan Williams and MP for Winchester Danny Chambers have been looking into whether what the DfT letter says, is correct - that it can be used in 'whichever way they wish'.

The government has not currently directly stated that it cannot be used for subsidies.

So, is it all down to interpretation of the government's announcement?

It is worth asking this question, and also taking time to consider:

..if Hampshire County Council want to bring real benefits to residents, why have they axed one of the area's subsidized routes with the highest passenger numbers, which "meets the needs of local communities", combats social isolation and improves social mobility?

..and why are they then deciding not to use the funding they have been given to benefit residents of this area?