OPERATORS of a 'lifeline' voluntary bus service have welcomed a move from local authorities to arrange parking for their vehicle while their passengers enjoy a shopping trip.

The Villager – which operates services from Chipping Norton to Witney, taking in villages including Fifield and Stonesfield – has secured parking at Langdale Hall, thanks to the intervention of Witney Town Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.

The chairman of the group which runs the bus, who had previously raised concerns alternative parking solutions were not viable for all passengers, has praised the councils for providing the service with the spaces while the group seeks a permanent fix.

Chairman Keith Gowing said: “We had previously parked in Le Touquet Square but it was not ideal and centre management wanted us to move.

“But the only alternative was the traders’ area in the Woolgate car park which was too far from the shops for disabled passengers.

“We are very grateful to Witney Town Council for taking the initiative and improving the situation for our customers while West Oxfordshire District Council has also been helpful while we continue to talk to centre management about a permanent solution.”

Leader of Witney Town Council Toby Morris said he was thrilled to be able to help The Villager bus service, which he called a ‘lifeline’.

He said: “The Villager is a lifeline for many people in more remote villages and I am delighted that we have helped with the parking issue.

“It’s good for them and it’s good for Witney.”

Cabinet member for strategic planning and economy at West Oxfordshire District Council, Jeff Hain, said he hoped the ‘vital’ service would be able to run ‘even more smoothly’ through use of the new spaces.

He said: “This is a vital service for rural communities - especially as many other services have been cut.

“Hopefully it can now run even more smoothly.”

Cuts to bus services have long been a contentious issue in West Oxfordshire.

Earlier this year councillors and residents in Witney aired their disappointment at Oxfordshire County Council's money-saving decision to cut the 213, 214 and 215 services - which all served the centre of the town: Madley Park, Woodgreen, Cogges and Smiths Estate.

The move came as Oxfordshire County Council tried to find about £69m in cuts due to decreasing Government funding and believed it could save £3.7m by scrapping the bus subsidies.

The Villager Community Bus is an established scheduled service operating in parts of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. Its primary aim is to serve those communities for which other means of transport are either difficult or non-existent.