UNIONS were meeting this week over Blackpool Transport's decision to close Squires Gate bus depot with the loss of 12 jobs.

Affected workers - mainly engineers and management staff - are being offered redeployment at the company's main Rigby Road depot or early retirement.

The move came after Blackpool Transport, which took over Squires Gate when it purchased Fylde Blue Buses in 1994, decided to consolidate all its operations at Rigby Road.

In addition, it is winding down Seagull Coaches as the excursion arm of the business, with the loss of one administrative job - though it will continue to run excursions using normal buses.

Managing director Tony Depledge said: "We're going to relocate the operation of the 60 buses running out of Squires Gate to our main depot and we expect about 12 jobs to go out of 150 staff currently working at Squires Gate.

"The redundancies will mainly affect engineering and management jobs, no drivers' jobs will be affected and I'd like to stress that we hope to reduce the number of compulsory redundancies by offering early redeployment or early retirement.

"The move will not affect any of our bus services from the point of view of the travelling public."

Seagull Coaches currently has six vehicles, but Mr Depledge said all its drivers would be absorbed in the main business.

The moves, he said, would complete the consolidation of the company which started with the purchase of Blue Buses in 1994.

Blackpool Transport is continuing to invest in its fleet, having ordered nine new low-floor buses for late spring and 15 new low-floor minibuses for the end of the year, bringing its fleet to 180 vehicles. The Squires Gate site, which began life as a tram depot for the long-gone Lytham St Annes tramway, is now bound to be in demand by property developers when it finally closes in mid-April.

A meeting of shop stewards was being held yesterday afternoon before negotiations with management later this week.

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