New bus shelter installed outside Lancaster railway station

After complaints about the condition of the former bus shelter on the west side of the train station (platform 3), County Coun Gina Dowding established that the shelter on the Station Road forecourt is the responsibility of Avanti West Coast.

Funding for the station refurbishment did not originally include a new shelter, but Coun Dowding persuaded the station manager to lobby Avanti to get it replaced.

She said: "The ownership of bus shelters across the county is not straightforward to say the least. It can be very confusing when trying to report an issue. It therefore took me a while to establish that the bus shelter on the station forecourt is in fact owned by Avanti.

"Generally speaking the responsibility for the bus shelters across the county is approximately split into thirds: Lancashire County Council owns and is responsible for approximately 750 Lancashire-wide, advertising companies, namely Clear Channel, are responsible for about a third, and the rest come under district and parish councils .

"The appalling condition of the previous bus shelter there was not just unpleasant for bus users, it was a real eye-sore, and a very unwelcoming start for visitors arriving in the city. I am so pleased that the station manager helped to convince Avanti to realise this upgrade was really important."

Most of the shelters on a core bus route (Quality Bus Route) are likely to be owned by either owned by Lancashire County Council or Clear Channel.

All of the bus stops and shelters in Lancashire which display timetable information now contain a 'Report It' sticker, which is a portal that allows members of the public to report damage or cleaning requirements of a particular asset.

The county council can be made aware of such defects and then pass the reports on to the relevant parties.