PLANS to cut bus services which serve a village near York are being opposed through a petition launched by one of the city’s MPs.

Julian Sturdy, who represents York Outer, said proposals by North Yorkshire County Council to reduce its bus subsidies by £1.1 million will see three buses each way withdrawn from the 412 and 413 service, halving the frequency of services through Rufforth.

The petition has been delivered to every house in Rufforth and is also available to sign in the village shop.

Mr Sturdy said the village’s current hourly services would be reduced to one bus every two hours and has also asked City of York Council transport chiefs to consider contributing towards the route.

He said: “Regular and reliable bus services are a real lifeline to our rural communities and every effort should be made to protect them, so I hope that with a united response from the community, we will be able to put sufficient pressure on both the county council and city council to come to an agreement.”