SEVEN councillors have called for a controversial decision to cut funding for bus services across North Yorkshire to be looked at again.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive last week agreed to reduce the amount the authority pays in bus subsidies by £2 million a year, despite claims this will leave many communities without adequate public transport.

The decision has now been called in for further scrutiny by UKIP councillors Sam Cross and David Simister, independent councillors Stuart Parsons, Helen Grant and Peter Horton and Liberal members John Savage and John Clark, which means it could be referred back to the executive for a rethink.

Coun Simister said: “We know the county council is under huge financial pressure, but there are other areas which should be considered first.”

Coun Cross said the extent of the subsidy cuts was “extremely worrying” and he did not believe the full impact had been considered. The county council, which originally planned to reduce subsidies by £1.1 million, will need to save £77 million between 2015 and 2019.