SUMMIT talks over proposed bus cuts in Huddersfield and the surrounding area will take place next month.

Bosses from passenger transport authority Metro will face bus company chiefs on June 5 at Huddersfield Town Hall.

As revealed yesterday, First is planning sweeping cutbacks to services in the wake of falling bus numbers and rising costs.

Centrebus and Arriva have also tabled changes.

Most of the cuts will come into effect on July 19.

Passengers have already contacted the Examiner in droves to express their anger at the proposals.

Lindley councillor Tony Brice, who represents Kirklees Council on Metro along with Clrs Peter McBride, Eric Firth and Andrew Pinnock, said: “The meeting is to hold the operators to account and to urge them to stop what they are proposing.

“There’s no point sitting back and doing nothing.

“In some ways we have to be sensible because they are all commercial services and common sense and logic tell you that you can’t run services with no people, but this is horrendous.”

The 2pm meeting on June 5 will be open to the public, but only the officials from Metro and First will be able to contribute.

Clr Brice urged people to make their views known by contacting the operators directly.

Metro chairman Chris Greaves pledged to continue to push First to back down over cuts proposed across West Yorkshire.

He said: “We recognise and accept the need for First to be a successful business in order to continue to invest in new buses, as they have been doing and which we welcome.

“But in the absence of detailed information we are not convinced that these cuts are necessary and have grave concerns about their effect on the ability of passengers to make work and leisure journeys.

“The proposed cuts will reduce frequencies in many parts of West Yorkshire, and in some cases remove services altogether.”

Following yesterday’s article, Centrebus has asked us to clarify the changes to its services:

The 81 from Waterloo to Huddersfield at 5am on Saturdays will be withdrawn.

The 84 from Denby Dale to Huddersfield will be rerouted to the same route as the 83A to cover Lepton.

The 231 Lepton to Huddersfield service at 7.21am will be withdrawn.

The 232 Lepton to Huddersfield service will run at 6.58am instead of 7.02am on weekdays.

The 232 Lepton to Huddersfield service at 7.52am will be withdrawn

An additional 232 service from Middlestown to Huddersfield will be introduced at 8.28am.

The 234 Flockton to Huddersfield service at 7.25am will be withdrawn.

The 234 Huddersfield to Flockton service at 5.05pm will operate instead as the 231.

The 242 Lepton to Huddersfield at 7.06am to be withdrawn; Huddersfield to Grange Moor circular at 7.30am to be withdrawn; same route to leave at 8.59am instead of 8.30am; other minor changes.

The 261 service to be withdrawn.

The 263 service to be rerouted as 262.