USERS of threatened rural bus services in Thurrock have been given a reprieve and three local routes serving villages across the borough will run for some months yet.

As reported on Thurrock Nub News recently Thurrock Council's ruling Conservative cabinet decided to save more than £400,000 a year by axing three services - the 11, 265 and 374 routes.

Cabinet members decided not to renew the contracts with the NIBS and Stephenson bus companies which were due to expire on Friday, 31 March.

The decision came after a review of services going back to July 2022 when the plan for cuts was first aired and a consultation process launched.

Despite expressions of a clear need for the service from isolated villagers and borough communities, and a recommendation from the council's Planning, Transportation & Regeneration (PTR) Overview and Scrutiny Committee (O&S) not to implement the cuts without further review and possible alternative provision of a service, the cabinet swung the axe.

The only concession was the ruling group authorised an agreement with the First bus company to extend some of its 100 service on a route through Fobbing and Old Corringham – the ward served by the council's deputy leader!

In the wake of the cabinet's decision there was an outpouring of anger and concern from local residents and opposition councillors.

Residents in East Tilbury submitted more than 40 official calls for the decision to be reviewed – and a similar appeal from Labour's transport spokesperson Cllr Lee Watson was also passed to the council's legal and monitoring officer.

She has now agreed that there is a justifiable reason for the decision to be reviewed and she has allowed the call in, which means the matter will go back to the scrutiny committee and then on to cabinet.

That will take some months and the council has now confirmed the buses will keep running in the interim.

A statement issued today (Thursday, 30 March) to Thurrock Nub News says: "Further processes which are expected to take some months have to be undertaken before any decision on the bus services can be actioned.

"This means it has been necessary to extend the existing contract with the bus providers until a decision has been taken."

The 11 service, currently operated on a council subsidy by NIBS buses, runs six times a day each way between Basildon and Purfleet, knitting together Aveley, South Ockendon, North Stifford, Grays, Chadwell St Mary, Orsett, Horndon on the Hill and Fobbing en-route.

The 265, operated by Stephensons, runs three services a day on a route linking Grays, West Horndon. Bulphan and Stifford Clays, including stops at Orsett and Thurrock Community Hospitals.

And the 374, also run by NIBS, threads a way across the borough from Grays to Basildon, linking Little Thurrock, Chadwell St Mary, West Tilbury, East Tilbury, Linford, Stanford-le-Hope, Corringham, Fobbing and Vange - calling at Basildon Hospital.

It runs six days a week, with eight services in each direction on weekdays and four on Saturdays.

Effectively the recommednation to axe all the routes above means Bulphan, East Tilbury, East Tilbury Village, Linford, Horndon on the Hill, North Stifford, West Tilbury, and western parts of Aveley lose all bus provision.