Derbyshire County Council ‐ as part of the £47 million funding awarded by the Department for Transport for improved bus services in Derbyshire ‐
have announced some improvements for Hilcote with the 143/A service, which will connect
the village to the McArthur Glen East Midlands Designer Outlet.
In 2021, I launched my bus survey in Hilcote during a meeting with local residents, where a
number of people requested a link to the McArthur Glen East Midlands Designer Outlet, as
they believed it would open up connectivity to additional bus routes across the East Midlands,
which use the outlet as a stop.
As you are aware, for a number of years Hilcote has been severely restricted in terms of public
transport, which has only been exacerbated by the Covid‐19 pandemic and a large reduction
in passenger numbers. This has been particular acute in rural and smaller communities like
Hilcote.
Poor bus services seriously limit connectivity and often leaves certain groups, especially the
elderly, young people, and those who do not drive, cut off. I would like to see simpler fares,
new buses, improved routes, and higher frequency services to make everyday journeys easier
and more convenient.
That's why I was delighted when the Government announced £47 million for better bus
services in Derbyshire.
This route is something I have requested with both the Leader, Cllr Barry Lewis, and Cabinet
Member for Transport, Cllr Cupit, of Derbyshire County Council, so I very much welcomed the
announcement.
I think it is an important first‐step that the route has been established and we can now look
to improve local bus services further over the coming years. This does require local residents
to use the service so that it is more commercially viable and requires less funding support
from the County Council.
I very much hope that this announcement will make a significant difference for residents in
Hilcote and I will continue to work hard for further improvements to our local bus services.overnment funded programme delivering an ambitious vision to improve bus services across Derbyshire (we are also working on some other important bus improvements that I hope to be able to announce soon).
There’s a long way to go to improve bus services across our area but this is a very welcome announcement.
