RESIDENTS of north Kirklees say they are being excluded from Metro’s plans to run bus services on Boxing Day.

Metro, which co-ordinates public transport in West Yorkshire, will pay for 25 routes between 9am and 6pm on December 26 as part of a trial scheme.

Buses to Huddersfield from Golcar, Newsome, Meltham and Marsden are planned alongside services to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary from Almondbury and Rawthorpe.

But no services are planned for Batley, Cleckheaton, Heckmowike or Liversedge.

Among the places excluded will be Dewsbury District Hospital.

Cleckheaton resident John Ramsden says north Kirklees has been sidelined again, isolating its residents.

He says: “People want to shop on Boxing Day and visit people in hospital.

“If Metro have said people need to go out on Boxing Day it’s strange that a hospital is left out.

“You have to travel by car or by taxi and that’s very expensive on Boxing Day.

“You wouldn’t want to walk to Dewsbury Hospital as it’s a long way uphill.

“There’s a feeling here that north Kirklees is always left out and once again we’ve got the short straw.”

Cleckheaton councillor Andrew Pinnock says: “It’s not that bus companies are unwilling to run services on Boxing Day but they need more money from Metro.

“Metro has neglected north Kirklees to the extent they’ve not found more money for services in north Kirklees on Boxing Day.

“Unfortunately Metro doesn’t have enough money because we don’t put enough money into public transport.

“We need to ensure people don’t have to use a private car to get about - even on Boxing Day.

“Hopefully if the experiment is a success we will have buses everywhere.”

A Metro spokesman said: “Metro has organised this year’s trial of Boxing Day bus services around those routes which serve the main shopping centres in the Huddersfield and Leeds areas, that will be open on Wednesday, 26 December.

“As Metro has stated, and Clr Pinnock echoes, we hope this year’s trial will be a success and that a wider network of Boxing Day services is established right across West Yorkshire in future years.”