THE decision not to use bus operators Snaith for any council bus service will mean fewer buses in some rural areas.

For while all the contracts withdrawn from the Otterburn company have been re-let, a number of villages in the North Tyne area will get a poorer service.

And children used to being picked up at the front doors to catch the school bus will now have to walk to the nearest road end.

The changes to services were announced at Tuesday’s meeting of Northumberand County Council‘s west area committee, when it was made clear that while some areas will get a better service with more modern buses, other areas will lose out.

Bellingham, Wark, Colwell and Acomb will enjoy improved links with Hexham services operated by Go North East.

There will be better value fares and earlier and later services and in Bellingham buses will all travel to the Heritage Centre, where there are better facilities for turning buses than the current reversing manoeuvre.

Buses will still stop next to the shops in the centre of the village.

However, the 882 Hexham to Colwell service, which currently operates six days a week, has been “thinned out” because it exceeds an acceptable level of subsidy.

Travel manager Kirsten Francis said to bring the service within the allowed funding levels, the small numbers of users would have to be diverted on to fewer buses.

The five journeys per day serving Barrasford, Gunnerton and Colwell would be reduce to two inward journeys to Hexham and two return journeys, allowing a three hour stay in Hexham.

This contract would be piloted by Go North East as service 682 until October 10, to enable officers to assess whether it offered good value for money, or whether it should be scrapped.

The Tuesdays only 883 Byrness to Hexham service via Otterburn will not continue in its present form, with new operator PCL Travel providing only a 16-seater mini-bus from Byrness on Mondays to connect with the new Go North East bus to Hexham.

PCL Travel will run a service from Otterburn via Ridsdale, East Woodburn and West Woodburn to Bellingham on Fridays to connect with the same new Go North East bus to Hexham.

The Otterburn to Bellingham service which currently operates on Thursdays and Fridays will be reduced to a Friday service only,

The 880 service which runs from Hexham to Kielder from Monday to Saturday will now stop at Bellingham, but PCL Travel will be operating one journey between Bellingham and Kielder on a Monday and Friday and two journeys on a Saturday.

The 808 service from Bellingham to Newcastle via West Woodburn from Monday to Saturday will continue, but with a 16-seater vehicle.

Subsidised bus services cost the council £2.4m each year and the council had agreed to cut the subsidy to the tune of £200,000.

Miss Francis said this would be achieved by rationalising services where all or part of them are underused, and also through renegotiation of contracts.