Bus cuts: Joint statement from Councils and Mayor

A joint statement on proposed cuts to Arriva bus services has this afternoon been issued on behalf of the Tees Valley Mayor and council leaders in Darlington, Redcar and Cleveland, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Stockton.

"We hear the concerns raised by residents that will be affected by the recently announced Arriva service cuts. The Mayor and Leaders of the Councils have been working very closely together to understand what can be done to mitigate the impact of these cuts and consider a potential way forward. The Tees Valley Combined Authority and local councils are working in lockstep on this and looking at a range of potential options.

“Given the economic climate, there is no easy one-size-fits-all solution but make no mistake, we are all working extremely hard to find a way through this, and we'll continue to work closely with one another over the coming days. We expect to be able to provide a further update in the near future."