A GOVERNMENT transport  minister has vowed to look into  valley bus problems.

Norman Baker MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for  Regional and Local Transport,  made the promise as he delivered a  House of Commons update on plans  for a £560m local sustainable  transport fund.

During the Commons debate MP  for the region Jason McCartney  asked Mr Baker if he would meet   councillors to thrash out ways to  help frustrated bus users.

Mr McCartney said: “The three  Holme Valley South councillors  wrote to him inviting him to visit and  discuss local bus services.

“So I’ve invited him to meet them  to see how this £560m fund can be  used to help improve services in the  area.

“It will be great if he comes up  here, but the location of the meeting  is yet to be decided.”

“Services are being cut back and  reduced all the time and it’s a  question of what services are  needed rather than just which  can make a profit.

“We will discuss bus services  in the valleys and talk about  getting the right sizes of buses  going to the right places.

“Hopefully within this fund  there’s money allocated for this  type of project.”

Veteran Holme Valley councillor Ken Sims said everyone  was frustrated by a lack of  action amid years of cut backs  by the main bus operator First.

He said: “We’re fed up of  trying to sort something out for  the buses in Holme Valley  south. Metro’s not doing anything and the council’s not  doing anything.

“We think if we meet him we  can put some ideas together and  make him realise what’s happening.

“Hopefully if the Coalition  Government get their thinking  caps on they might start to listen  to what the public want.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to  meet him face-to-face and let  him meet some of the members  of the public to hear it first  hand.”

The bid for Government  intervention comes as Metro  steps up its plan to regulate  West Yorkshire’s bus operators  with new ‘Quality Bus Contracts’.

It is hoped the contracts will  force bus companies to offer a  better service and prevent them  from axing routes that aren’t  profitable.

But Clr Sims said councillors  had lost patience with the Leeds-based public transport authority.

He added: “I would have  thought the £18m Kirklees pays  to Metro should help subsidise  the routes we need.

“The quality contracts  should help but I’m still not  happy with Metro and the way  it’s formed.

“It’s old hat people who run it  who used to work on the buses  and politics come into it, which  I’m not happy with.”