Councils have an extremely tough task trying to find ways to save the large amounts forced on them by government cuts.

Already we have heard, for example, that bus services will be slashed in some areas because local authorities can no longer afford to subsidise them.

But county council proposals to scrap ‘real time’ electronic information boards at bus stops to reduce costs by £175,000 do seem short-sighted.

Also cutting £100,000 by not providing printed timetables at 4,000 bus stops and providing fewer leaflets is likely to be counter-productive.

As employment rises, fuel prices soar and the pressure on household budgets increases, it seems logical that more people will have to use buses and trains.

This should be an opportunity for local authorities to promote public transport and showcase how convenient and useful it can be.

Removing vital information about timings from stops is surely going to discourage rather than encourage people to catch buses.

Who is going to wait at a bus stop when they have no idea how frequently the service runs?

Without timetables there will be fewer bus passengers and that will lead to even more routes being scrapped.

Councillors need to rethink the wisdom of these proposals.