TAUNTON Deane MP Rebecca Pow has pledged to work to find a 'pragmatic way forward' for park-and-ride services in the county town.

Ms Pow said 'an appropriate long-term, sustainable funding mechanism' needs to be found for the services, atfer your County Gazette revealed they are set to be closed by Somerset County Council amid a funding crisis.

She said: "The park and rides in Taunton Deane are an important part of the mix in terms of the versatility they offer motorists and the wider benefits they provide in terms of reducing congestion in urban areas and contributing towards the ethos of our Garden Town status.

"Clearly an appropriate long term sustainable funding mechanism needs to be assured for the current park and rides and proposed future sites.

"No decisions have actually been made yet regarding closures and I shall be working with key stakeholders to consider what might been done to come up with a pragmatic way forward for the good of the community.

"It would in the first instance be helpful to secure more time to come up with a potential solution and I shall be asking both TDBC and Somerset County Council to consider this."

READ MORE: County council set to close Taunton park and ride sites

The closure proposals were revealed last week as the county council battles to balance its books amid sweeping cuts in central government funding and rising costs across services.

Cllr Mike Rigby (Independent), the opposition spokesman for highways and transport, said: "It's a bad idea.

"The public has spent a lot of money building these facilities and now they're just being closed down.

"It will have an impact on air quality as it will lead to more people driving into town. Where are people going to park in Taunton?"