TRANSPORT campaigners in Yorkshire are disappointed Chancellor Rishi Sunak has cut fuel duty by five per cent while rail and bus services are still struggling to recover after the lockdown.

Transport campaigners group Action for Yorkshire Transport say since 2012 bus fares have gone up 55 per cent, well over the rate of inflation, yet no-one seems concerned about that rise. Rail fares have also recently risen.

News that fuel duty, frozen for over a decade, is to be cut to benefit the motorist, is challenged by Action for Yorkshire Transport, who say people need to get back onto buses and trains for the benefit of the environment and reducing climate change.

Mark Parry, chair of Action for Yorkshire Transport, said: “Cuts in fuel duty will only boost car dependency and usage and at a time of coming worldwide energy shortages.

“We must, as matter of urgency, reduce the use of all fossil fuels, both to reduce the risks of catastrophic climate change but also to ensure that fuel is reserved for essential purposes, not personal travel for the better off. The less fuel we buy, the less pressure there will be on fuel prices.

“Cutting fuel duties benefits the better off, not the poorest. This will only encourage more use of petrol and diesel at a time of world shortages.”