A NUMBER of rural bus routes under threat have been saved from the axe - for now.

Powys County Council's cabinet rejected all options put before it to save up to £500,000 from its transport budget over two years at its County Hall, Llandrindod Wells meeting on Tuesday, September 17.

The cabinet had been expected to axe 12 of the 30 bus routes it supports from November this year. Buses under threat included services from Brecon, Llandrindod and Knighton.

Councillors have instead ordered a review of all public transport to see if other options are available.

Cabinet member for transport, Councillor Barry Thomas said: "Publicly supported transport provision across the county must be fair and equitable even if that service is provided with vastly reduced resources.

"We have considered a number of options to meet budget reductions and concluded that although capable of delivering the necessary savings the impact on service delivery is not equitable and impacts rural communities.

"We have asked for a fundamental review examining all integrated public service transport provision to see if other options are available to us."

The council has said it must make the savings due to reductions in funding it receives from the Welsh Government, driven by the UK Government's austerity measures.

"Cuts of the size demanded will mean less service across the county but the service that remains must be fair and equitable," added Cllr Thomas.

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