A MOBILE information bus which serves residents in the far reaches of Craven could be scrapped as part of a cost-cutting exercise.

The bus is a "front line service" and offers a facility for residents to pay their council tax and rent, carries a range of information and leaflets and allows people to report problems and ask questions on any aspect of Craven District Council.

It runs Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday on a four-weekly cycle, covering communities like Bentham, Ingleton, Hellifield, Cross Hills, Grassington, Hetton, Clapham, Stainforth and Kettlewell, where there is no permanent council cash office.

But last week Craven District councillors were asked to consider reducing its opening hours, from once a week to once a month, after concerns were raised about the long-term life of the bus and the high costs of replacing it.

After private discussions, councillors resolved to ask the finance officer to work out the costs of alternative arrangements if the bus were not replaced. For example these could include residents paying their council tax at the post office.

This resolution appears to suggest the council wishes to scrap the bus service and not just to cut the hours.

Last year the bus was visited by 17,000 people and has been used by other agencies including the county council, crime prevention, Benefits Agency and fire prevention advisers.

Residents in Bentham, Burton-in-Lonsdale and Ingleton would face a 70-mile round trip to Skipton if the mobile unit was scrapped.

Underlining their concern, several people have signed a petition in Bentham's Looking Well against changes to the service.

Jean West, of Lairgill, Bentham, has a 93-year-old relative who uses the service to pay his council bungalow rent and council tax.

"He doesn't have a cheque book and it would be very difficult for him if the unit was scrapped. A lot of the older folk use it - it's an essential service for them," said Mrs West.

She added that younger people who used the service feared they would get into debt without the discipline of regular payments at the bus because they would struggle to get to Settle or Skipton.

Alison Jones, of Looking Well, said there was a lot of feeling in Bentham that the service was vital and should be retained at its current levels.

She said: "A lot of people are concerned about it. It is really good for people to meet somebody face to face and keep on top of things, people really do appreciate meeting people.

"The mobile information unit is such a good idea and I have heard nothing but positive things about the service itself. It would be a real step backwards if it was cut back."

At last week's council meeting one objector said that the mobile information unit had been providing a service to a wide community for the past four years.

"What started as a low cost experimental service has far exceeded all expectations and has developed into a much used, much loved and much appreciated front line service."

Councillors were also asked to consider closing the Settle cash office on a Friday, but this decision was deferred until a solution had been reached on the future of the information bus.