Prime minister weighs in on bus shelter dispute

The prime minister said a county council should "listen and respond to local people" following a row over preserving a 1950s bus shelter from demolition.

The shelter on Station Approach in Sheringham was due to be demolished and replaced by a new transport hub, after Norfolk County Council said it did not meet modern accessibility standards and was unsafe.

On Tuesday Sheringham Town Council agreed not to support the demolition following nine days of protesters camping outside the shelter.

Sir Keir Starmer, when visiting the First Bus depot in Norwich with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander on Thursday, added he was "not surprised" local people had strong views on the issue.

Alexander added: "I think the people of Sheringham have made their views known about this bus shelter and Norfolk County Council have got the money to get on with the job.

"The government have given them the money through the bus funding. They need to amend the scheme and make sure they make those improvements in Sheringham that people want.

"But they also want to keep their bus shelter, so Norfolk County Council need to pull their finger out and get on with the job."

Sir Keir was in Norfolk to speak about the decision to freeze rail fares in England and the £3 bus fare cap, which has been extended until 2027.

Group leaders at Norfolk County Council recently called for guarantees that elections will go ahead next year after the government delayed mayoral polls in four areas – including Norfolk and Suffolk – until 2028.

The government said it wanted the elections to take place after planned changes to local government structure.

Speaking at the First bus depot in Sprowston, Sir Keir said: "As far as the mayoral elections are concerned, we want to go through the reorganisation first.

"It's the biggest reorganisation for decades, so we need to get that settled.

"For other elections, that's a decision locally. But there would have to be a very good reason to delay local elections, so that's where we stand on it."

A Norfolk County Council spokesperson said: "We are disappointed that we are no longer able to deliver this scheme for Sheringham.

"Our ambition has always been to deliver a high-quality, safe and accessible bus interchange that can accommodate the significant growth in passenger numbers we have achieved with our bus operators.

"However, we fully acknowledge the difficult decision Sheringham Town Council has had to make in the face of intense media and local scrutiny. We will respect that decision and will now stop all work and withdraw from the site as soon as possible."

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