Rural electric buses and food bank support part of Mid Suffolk plans
The council's announced what it wants to spend money on in future
A rural electric bus service, food bank support and help for energy-inefficient homes are set to be among investment plans at Mid Suffolk District Council in the year ahead.
The authority passed its 2022 budget last week, which included proposals by the opposition Green and Liberal Democrat group to invest £820,000 from the growth and efficiency fund to secure two electric buses that will deliver scheduled rural services not currently being met.
The Conservative and Independent administration has also said it will bring forward plans over the next year to invest neatly £1million of additional government grants.
While full details of those are not yet known, Conservative cabinet member for finance, John Whitehead, said the intention is to include an uplift in rural community grants and increase councillor locality grants.
He said officers are investigating financial support for food banks and looking at how to provide a free means-tested energy performance certificate service for the most energy inefficient homes in the district.
“We want to bring those to cabinet at the earliest opportunity as fully-fledged and deliverable initiatives,” Cllr Whitehead said.
“We want to really help those residents that are struggling the most.
“The plans are being drawn up now so reports can come to cabinet as soon as possible.
“We truly have ambitious plans which are only made possible by the financial strength and hard work we have put in over the years to get us to our current position.”
It follows a pledge in November to invest £5.1 million in 39 schemes to help communities recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. Those schemes will be delivered this year and next.
The Green and Liberal Democrat bus plans aim to address a gap in public transport services and support those in rural communities, particularly for those who cannot drive.
It will see two mini-bus size electric buses established, and running scheduled services connecting rural communities.
Group deputy leader John Field, said it would be filling a gap in services rather than competing with existing services.
He said: “It’s pleasing to find that the administration agreed that our proposal met a real need for scheduled public transport in rural areas. We can now work together to refine it and deliver what people want and need.”
Group leader Andy Mellen added: “Many villages in our district have little or no bus provision at all so a modest scheduled route will provide them with reliable access to local services. We will help contain cost of living increases with affordable fares while improving air quality in the towns and lessening climate harming emissions.”
Plans for the service will now be drawn up, but it is hoped it can be up and running within a few months.
The authority last week unanimously agreed to the 2022/23 budget which proposes a freeze on the district’s portion of the council tax bill.