BUS shelters in Wellington are going to be either replaced or smartened up in a bid to make them better for passengers.

Wellington Town Council took over the responsibility of 12 bus stations earlier this year in Wellington and Rockwell Green.

The council has already set a bus station budget of £7,500 and members of its economic development committee met on June 11 to agree a replacement and maintenance plan going forward. That funding has been boosted by £5,000 from the council’s town centre project budget to increase it to an overall total of £12,500.

Annette Kirk, the council’s facilities manager, told councillors that a survey carried out in 2022 showed that three bus shelters in the area needed to be replaced – at Rockwell Green near the Italian restaurant and in Wellington the shelter near St John’s Church in the High Street and the one in Milverton Road, opposite Millstream Gardens.

“We have taken responsibility for the bus shelters and we have to come up with a plan of action for maintenance,” she said at the council’s economic development committee on June 11.

Councillors were quick to admit that bus shelters were always going to be in need of maintenance because they are battered by the elements throughout the year and have consistently been – wherever you are – a target for vandalism.

Cllr Mark Lithgow said: “Are the new bus shelters going to be vandal-proof and weather-proof?”

But Cllr John Thorne, in reference to the fact that security cameras are going to be installed at Wellington Park to deter the vandals, quipped: “I know we can’t put CCTV on every bus stop!”

Cllr Thorne added: “I accept that we have to have a maintenance programme now, but I think we should do the replacement of bus shelters in the next financial year and budget properly for that.”

Cllr Keith Wheatley said: “The bus shelters are shabby and I think we should start replacing the first one on the list this year. We need to do this now.”

The mayor, Cllr Janet Lloyd, agreed: “The bus shelters are looking tatty and we have got the money available to do that work.”

The council has said it will look to replace one bus shelter a year alongside a maintenance programme of all the shelters – starting with a new shelter in Rockwell Green.

Councillors agreed that council officers should look to obtain three quotations to replace the Rockwell Green bus shelter, while also look for costs to paint and replace damaged panels of other shelters in the town.

They have also agreed that information should be gathered on how much it will cost to smarten-up all 12 bus shelters the town council has taken responsibility of.

Cllr Steve Mercer – who is leading a working group looking at Wellington having its own local bus service to meet future needs - also suggested the council should look at the costs involved in ensuring that all bus stops had electronic timetables to give users up-to-date travel information.