North Yorkshire County Council says it has no plans to restore the bus service between Skipton and Harrogate to its original level.

A campaign led by student Catherine Walker had called for the X59 service to be saved after a number of daily journeys were cut to save money.

But the council has claimed the majority of journeys made were for leisure purposes and were therefore non-essential.

At the authority’s annual meeting, Liberal Democrats called for the services to be restored.

A Lib Dem spokesman said: “The cut in the number of buses on this very popular route means that, in practice, those who rely on public transport will only be able to spend two-and-a-half hours in Harrogate.

“In the past those travelling from Skipton would have been able to spend up to seven hours in Harrogate.”

Skipton West’s Lib Dem councillor Polly English is also concerned that companies in the villages between the two towns will suffer.

Coun English said: “Very few people want to go to Harrogate for less than two-and-a-half hours. Cutting the number of buses on this popular route will harm the tourist trade in the two towns. Local residents in Skipton and the surrounding area have told me that they will now have to go to Keighley or Bradford for shopping and leisure.

“I raised the issue with the Tory portfolio holder and asked for a meeting of council officers with Craven and Harrogate councillors. This was not agreed to.

“I am disappointed that the Tory bosses at County Hall do not appear to be taking this seriously. However, I intend to pursue this matter and will be writing to the new portfolio holder and officers concerned with passenger transport.”

Coun Chris Metcalfe, North Yorkshire’s newly-elected executive member for passenger transport, said: “This issue was dealt with by my predecessor, Coun Clare Wood, at the county council’s annual meeting when she explained that the council would discuss the concerns with the bus company but had no plans to buy additional journeys at this time.

“The majority of journeys are for leisure purposes and, having just withdrawn evening and Sunday services which also cater for leisure trips, it would be inconsistent to provide additional funding in this case. I am, of course, always happy to discuss issues with my fellow councillors and look forward to hearing from Coun English.”