A DECADE-LONG battle to restore a bus service linking two Somerset towns is still being fought – and the final destination could be in sight.

Back then, townsfolk in Wiveliscombe and Wellington could travel between the two regularly, using a regular bus service directly between the towns – as well as the villages of Milverton and Langford Budville.

However, financial pressures meant the route was lost.

Those who used the service, however, have continued to campaign for its return and last month handed in their latest petition – containing some 1,300 signatures – to Somerset Council to bring the route back into focus amid increases in funding from central government for buses in rural areas.

The authority has been allocated almost £3 million from the Bus Service Improvement Plan for 2025/26, and said it is awaiting guidance on how that money can be spent.

Meanwhile, the Wiveliscombe and Wellington bus user groups handed in the petition at a meeting of the full council in Bridgwater on December 18.

Launched in October, it garnered more than 1,300 signatures online and on paper, with the user groups saying the route has been “very much missed” by people in the communities.

Wellington, they said, offers shopping alongside health and sports facilities, while Wiveliscombe has the attraction of fine pubs, local walks, and a regular Saturday market.

“A bus service would provide residents in both towns with access to work opportunities as well as social contact with friends and families,” a campaign spokesperson said.

“The proposed opening of a railway station in Wellington is another reason for improved access to the town from Wiveliscombe and nearby villages, as well as offering links to onward travel to Taunton and further afield to Bristol, London, and Plymouth by coach.”

A spokesperson for the two bus groups added: “We are aware that Somerset Council will soon be awarded over £6 million in bus funding from central government and must determine how this is going to be allocated.

“We believe we have a strong case that some of the money should go towards restoring this service and Somerset Bus Partnership, who are submitting proposals for allocation of the funding, have publicly backed our case.”

At the Somerset Council meeting, Cllr Richard Wilkins, lead member for transport, said the council would not be able to reinstate the service without additional funds and that it was waiting for guidance from central government on how the funding it was providing for buses could be spent.

Green Party councillor, Dave Mansell, has backed the campaign

Meanwhile, Cllr Dave Mansell (Green Party, Upper Tone) said: “I fully support this campaign. Our communities need better buses.

“It would be a great step forward to restore the service between Wiveliscombe and Wellington, alongside a more frequent 25 service into Taunton.

“The local bus user groups have done great work to make the case and show the strong support for these improvements.”

After the meeting – and the petition being handed in – a Somerset Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the campaign seeking to restore the service between Wiveliscombe and Wellington and welcome the interest shown by the local community.

“We know people value bus services and that’s why we spend more than £5m (including current BSIP funding) a year subsidising services across the county.

“At the moment we are consulting with our user groups, bus operators and neighbouring authorities, while also digesting the rules governing how we can spend the £2,958,423 of Bus Service Improvement Plan revenue funding that we have been allocated for 2025/26.

“The team always does the best that it can with the money available, but there is never enough. The best thing we can all do to keep routes running is to use them as much as possible so they need less public subsidy.”