DECISION day for subsidised bus services in York has been put off by a fortnight after Green councillors forced a debate on the issue.

Three of the party's city councillors have "called in" the decision over which bus subsidies should be cut in a bid to shave £350,000 off the annual bill for City of York Council.

There will now be a cross-party council debate on the plans on Wednesday, May 18, and the final decision over which services will have their subsidies cut has been postponed from May 19 until Thursday, June 2.

Green group leader Cllr Andy D'Agorne said they were partly motivated by frustration at the opportunities people had been given to share their views on what subsidy cuts would mean for the bus services in the city.

He said: "This is a failed, token consultation given that the budget savings have been approved and no alternatives have been outlined. Even the bus operators themselves have not been publicly invited to propose alternatives.

"Ending evening and weekend services will increase car dependency and isolation for those without a car, and further undermine strategies to tackle congestion and pollution. This administration has no vision on transport or for the future of York, despite its pledge on ‘One Planet Living’."

The bus subsidy proposals first came to light in April. Eight services across the city, including the circular no 20, are under threat for their weekday and Saturday services, with four more facing the loss of evening services and six under threat on Sundays.

This weekend, the council and bus companies are holding a "bus surgery" on Parliament Street, to give people a chance to speak with York’s bus providers including First York, Arriva and Transdev, about local services.

The event is planned for Saturday, May 14, from 2pm to 4pm, on a bus provided by First Bus, and there will be a full range of timetables and maps for people to plan their next bus journey.

At the same time, the new York Bus Forum is planning to hold a "No Bus Cuts" rally close by, to show their objection to any bus cuts in the city.

Organiser John Bibby said they want to see a stronger, not weaker, public transport system in York, particularly for vulnerable people who rely more heavily on the bus network than other people who have more alternatives open to them.