BUS firm Stagecoach and trade union Unison have attacked Swindon Council's budget proposals on the eve of this week's cabinet meetings.

The meeting of the Cabinet tomorrow night will make the final decision on cuts to services, including libraries, highway maintenance and half-fares for children on the town's buses, with the aim of saving money.

But managers at Stagecoach say that cutbacks on half-fares for children will lead to fare rises or even force the company Swindon's second largest bus operator to reduce the number of services it runs.

Ian Manning, the managing director of Stagecoach in Swindon was staggered by the cuts and said he expected them to cost the firm at least £120,000 a year.

He said: "The council should be encouraging children to travel on public transport, rather than pass motions that make bus travel less attractive.

"How can they justify this savage cut-back when the average council tax bill in the borough is rising 4.8 per cent?

"Questions need to be raised about the commitment of this council to public transport.

"In February last year, the council slashed the concessionary fares budget by £200,000 and withdrew support for many tendered services, completely disregarding their own market research which had indicated the importance of good public transport to local residents.

"Now, it seems, bus operators are going to be punished again.

"To recoup this lost revenue, we will have to raise all child fares to a minimum two-thirds of the adult fare, consistent with our policy in other boroughs that lack child concessionary fare schemes.

John Owen, managing director of Thamesdown Transport, could not comment about the proposals as Swindon Council is a shareholder in the bus firm, but he said: "The Thamesdown Transport board will be considering the implications when it meets in March."

Trade union Unison has also been scathing about the proposals Branch secretary Bob Cretchley said: "Yet again, Swindon Council is more concerned about council tax levels than maintaining important services to the community."

Jemima Milton, Cabinet member for Local Environment and Transport, said: "We are disappointed that Swindon Borough Council's commitment to public transport is being questioned by Stagecoach, as the suggestion simply isn't true.

"Swindon is one of the few places in the UK to have seen a significant growth in bus travel, much of which is down to positive work done by this council in partnership with bus companies.

"We have held out for as long as possible, but we believe the money could now be more effectively spent. For instance, we will be helping to fund free bus travel for OAPs from April, as the Government has asked us to do.

"The council will still be providing Stagecoach with more than £400,000 in grants and subsidies every year."