Statement from Carterton Town Council

Carterton Connector Community Bus

Carterton Town Council wishes to address concerns regarding the recent decision taken by West Oxfordshire Community Transport (WOCT) to discontinue all services in Carterton.

The council is very committed to supporting valuable community services, including those for some of our most vulnerable residents. In our efforts to distribute limited resources across various community projects, the council took a fair and balanced approach regarding the allocation of our annual grants budget, based on a comprehensive evaluation of community needs.

For the financial year 2025/26, WOCT requested £18,000 to fund two community bus services, which operate three days per week. This amount represents 75% of the council’s total grants budget of £24,000, which also needs to accommodate 10-12 other grant applications annually, each aimed at supporting diverse community needs, including services for vulnerable groups.

In previous years, the council has substantially supported the community bus service, allocating £16,000 last year—67% of the grants budget. Despite the council’s financial constraints, we have greatly valued our partnership with WOCT and continually strived to support them in maintaining this service.

This year, given the competing demands and the council’s commitment to equitable distribution of funds, the decision was made to award £6,000 to WOCT at the Town Council meeting on Tuesday 18th March. This decision has not yet been formally communicated to WOCT.

Unfortunately, WOCT have already decided to discontinue all services without further discussion with the council, regarding the impact of the funding award, viable options to continue the service at a revised level or exploring other funding opportunities. The figure of £250 per day as a required funding amount was not previously communicated to the council, and no discussions were held to explore adjustments based on the new funding award.

It is important to note that neither transportation services nor grant allocations are statutory responsibilities of Carterton Town Council. These are additional grants, awarded by the council, to support these services in our community.

We are disappointed that the situation has been framed as a reduction in funding by the council without recognition of the broader financial challenges and the needs of other community projects. We remain open to discussing sustainable solutions with WOCT and other community stakeholders to explore how we might support essential services in more financially sustainable ways.

For further information, please contact the Town Clerk, Simon Garwood 01993 842156 or clerk@carterton-tc.gov.uk