Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) has said that it has no plans to cut spending on leisure services in the area despite a shortfall in funding for the government's national free bus travel scheme.

In a letter to the Yorkshire Post newspaper in December, HBC leader Mike Gardner revealed that the council had incurred a deficit of £1.6m in funding for the initiative which it was having to pass onto the taxpayer. Gardner said: "Like everyone else, this council is feeling the pinch. We do not see why we should have to ask local residents, who pay for local services, to be faced with a possible loss of those services as we try to balance our budget in the light of a huge shortfall in grant for this national scheme."

A spokesperson for HBC confirmed that the local authority currently had no plans to cut leisure spending in light of the free bus scheme's funding deficit, although admitted that it can't be ruled out in the long-term. The problem of funding the initiative is also having an affect on other local authorities across Britain. Similar budget restraints facing Chesterfield Borough Council have prompted a demand from the local Liberal Democrat MP, Paul Holmes, for the government to take action.

"It is truly shocking that this government seems content to ignore the problems facing Chesterfield Borough Council and councils throughout the country," said Holmes.