Local MP, Sarah Newton, has welcomed Cornwall Council’s positive response to her campaign to provide a new bus services for the Portloe.

As reported in Roseland Online, earlier this year, the village was hit hard by Western Greyhound’s decision to remove Portloe from its 550/551 bus service route. This has left Portloe residents without a reliable bus link to local schools and Truro-based services and amenities.

Mrs Newton wrote to everyone in the village to ask for their feedback on how the bus changes had affected them. Mrs Newton presented to this testimony to Cornwall Council, calling on them to use funds granted by Government to be spent on providing bus services in rural areas ensure a reliable bus link for Portloe.

After considering these representations Cornwall Council have today announced that a new bus service for Portloe will commence on the 29th September. The service, which will be operated by Travel Cornwall, will run daily.  You can see the timetable here.

Commenting to Roseland Online, Sarah Newton said:  ‘‘I am grateful to local residents for all their support in this campaign, and to Cornwall Council for listening to the case we made. The new service is a step in the right direction. I have uploaded the details of the new service onto my website www.sarahnewton.org.uk and hope that that local residents can vote with their feet and show Cornwall Council and Travel Cornwall what a demand there is for the new service and for its future expansion.

“I will continue to push for better bus services for all my constituents. We must build a Cornish bus network that meets the needs of all our communities in the twenty first century.’’

Also speaking to Roseland Online, Councillor Julian German asked us to to remind residents of the Roseland voluntary car scheme which can provide lifts to access medical appointments – surgeries, dentists, hospitals, etc – which is available to all residents by phoning 01326 270780.