Nursing home staff now have a shorter wait at the bus stop

Bob Bullock, Worcestershire county councillor for Croome, near Worcester, said £10,000 of County Hall funding would bring bus services in Kempsey “back to normal” following earlier timetable changes.

Coun Bullock asked the county council to intervene after getting complaints from staff of The Lawns nursing home who were having to wait more than an hour for a bus to Worcester after their shifts finished at 2.55pm.

Your Worcester News reported earlier this month how problems began after bus operator Astons set up a rival village service to First in September.

Once Astons moved in,, First withdrew many of its off-peak services, leaving Kempsey without a bus at about 3pm.

Coun Bullock said: “With the change in service from First to Astons that caused a lot of trouble because the times weren’t the same.

“Complaints came to me and I got county officers involved and we approached the operators.”

After several meetings between the companies and the county council, council officers agreed to fund three additional trips at 1.18pm, 3.18pm and 5.08pm from Monday, December 15.

Manager of the nursing home Mike McKenna said: “As long as my staff can get to and from work then I’m happy. We’ve also got an activities lady who uses the bus and can now work the hours she’s supposed to rather than coming in early and finishing early.”

Emma Hunt, a nursing home worker who often finishes shifts at 2.55pm, said she would benefit from a new 3.18pm service.

Chris Holloway, county council transport planning and review officer, said an almost half-hourly service had now been resumed.

He said a new Local Transport Bill currently going through Parliament would let the county council set up quality bus partnerships and could introduce a standard ticket across all bus operators.

Coun Bullock said: “The officers have done a good job for the village in making sure residents are well catered for and the service is virtually back to normal.”