Bath and North East Somerset Council is cutting the bus services they support in North East Somerset while keeping all the ones in Bath — despite council leader Kevin Guy saying on the radio there would be no bus cuts.

Council leaders of the three council areas that make up the West of England agreed at Wednesday January 18's meeting of the combined authority's committee to cut support for 42 bus services across the West of England as costs rise.

Supported services are bus routes that are not commercially viable for the bus companies to run, but which local authorities pay to keep running.

The cuts would see North East Somerset lose the 178 between Midsomser Norton and the Brislington Park & Ride, the 179 connecting Bath and Midsomer Norton, the 172 in the evenings which links Bath and Paulton, and the 82 between Radstock and Paulton.

Mr Guy had told John Darvell on BBC Radio Bristol last week that all supported services in Bath and North East Somerset would be protected. But he said he had afterwards tried to correct himself and said: "I should have said Bath."

Labour councillors representing Paulton and Westfield have slammed the move — but the Lib Dem run council says Labour Metro Mayor Dan Norris is not investing in the city.

"WEST link" minibuses, a form of demand responsive transport (DRT), which people can book like a taxi are being introduced across parts of the West of England by the Mayor. But the service, which Mr Norris said is intended to connect isolated areas to transport hubs and is "not a replacement for supported buses," will not be rolled out in Bath.

Speaking at the West of England combined authorities's committee on Wednesday, Mr Guy said that £280,000 would be ring fenced for supported bus services in Bath and North East Somerset Council's upcoming budget.

He said: "In Bath, the Mayor has chosen not to provide DRT. We are using this money to maintain all — I repeat all — supported bus services within the city of Bath.

"Outside of Bath where DRT is being introduced by the Metro Mayor, we will extend the supported bus services for key services for an additional period of two months."

Reacting to the decision, Westfield councillor Robin Moss, who leads the Labour group on Bath and North East Somerset Council: "How can the Lib Dems in [Bath and North East Somerset] achieve net-zero without supporting public transport, and how on earth can Bath manage as a city if people cannot get in to work and shop?"

Paulton councillor Liz Hardman said: "Thousands and thousands of people in Paulton and the surrounding villages will almost be marooned. Around half of [Bath and North East Somerset] residents do not live in Bath – and all our shops, services and community activities depend on us being able to travel."

She added: "BANES has found money for Bath — but not for North East Somerset."

Mr Guy, meanwhile, said that the West of England's money was being spent in North East Somerset, where WEST Link will operate. He said: "Not a drop of that goes into the city of Bath."

But Mr Norris has said that councils had to increase their transport levy to the combined authority to pay for the supported bus services.

He added that the government funding which is paying for WEST Link had to be spent on "new and innovative" transport solutions, and he had been told by the government he could not use it for supporting existing services.

On Thursday January 19, Kevin Guy wrote to the Mayor's office asking him to award contracts for five new bus routes throughout North East Somerset which he said: "reflect local needs and priorities, and will provide a vital spinal bus link for our communities."

The routes include a 517 from Chew Magna to Wells, a 518 between Midsomer Norton and Radstock, a 519 Keynsham Circular, a 526 Chew Valley Link, and a 527 connecting Chew Magna with Anchor Road, Bristol.

Mr Norris said: "Any leader who asks me to consider anything to do with buses, I will do that as a matter of course."