A MAJOR new body has been set up to manage a near £1m cash injection into improving rural transport throughout the Malvern Hills.

The Malvern Hills Transport Group has been established in response to residents' concerns over travel difficulties.

One of the group's first tasks will be to oversee the implementation of transport improvements made possible by a £992,000 grant for the district from the Department of Transport, under the Government's Rural Bus Challenge.

A large part of the grant, the largest sum awarded in the entire country, will be spent on improvements to rural bus services, in particular shuttle services linking towns and villages with mainline rail services.

"Life can be pretty miserable for people who feel like they are stranded in the back of beyond," said Councillor Tom Wells, leader of Malvern Hills District Council.

"It can affect their chances of getting a job, their ability to make friends and even their general health and well-being and this can be particularly acute for young people who are more likely to have to rely on public transport.

"We shall, therefore, be considering not only ways of improving rail and bus services, but also imaginative self-help schemes like car pooling and similar ideas."

The Malvern Hills Transport Group is made up of representatives from Malvern Hills District Council, Worcestershire County Council, the Rural Transport Partnership, the South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust and Community Action, which represents voluntary organisations.

It was set up because improving local transport was the number one priority highlighted by residents who were consulted when the Community Strategy was drawn up last year.

The group will meet for the first time on Thursday, July 24, when it will examine which transport projects are currently running and what action can be taken to implement further improvements.

"Anything that will help people move around with public transport or otherwise and help cut down on cars on the roads had got to be good," said Mike McKnight, co-ordinator of Malvern Community Action.

"People should have the freedom to be able to move around but there has to be an adequate transport system and that is what everyone is working on at the moment."