The residents of a Wakefield estate say "people feel stuck" as a lack of local buses makes getting into town seem impossible. Members of local group Warwick Ahead told YorkshireLive the early end to services stops residents from getting jobs and leaves young people with nowhere to go, resulting in antisocial behaviour. David Craig, head of Warwick Ahead, said: "People can't get home from work in the evenings if the bus isn't running. It makes it very reluctant for people to go out looking for jobs if they don't have their own transport.
When they don't have their own personal transport there's no way for them to go job hunting on a reliable basis. The kids can't get off the estate in the evenings to go and do constructive things. To get the latest email updates from Yorkshire Live, click here.
According to Warwick Ahead, the unemployment rate on the estate has risen sharply during the pandemic, reaching Fifteen per cent of the population are elderly or have significant disabilities, and the group said many are reliant on benefits, particularly since the beginning of the pandemic.
The estate was named as one of the UK's 'left behind' areas in a recent report by an all-parliamentary group, based on its low connectivity to other areas. Ruth Stead, secretary of Warwick Ahead, said residents can spend large amounts relying on taxis for travel. They did it to my son, who's vulnerable. They made him get off and he had to walk up the estate," she said. If you want to go anywhere you have to get a taxi.
While Arriva run a later service from a main road near the top of the estate, the residents said many people didn't feel safe walking through the estate in the evenings, and that getting up the estate is inaccessible for people with disabilities.
