A funding increase of £3.8 million to improve bus links between five Powys towns is “not affordable at the moment”, a councillor has said.

At a meeting of the council’s Economy, Residents and Communities scrutiny committee, councillors probed draft budget proposals for savings and costs.

In the draft Powys County Council budget for next year, two lines in the appendix for cost pressures say that £3.8 million is allocated for “changes to public transport to support sustainable Powys vision.”

Liberal Democrat Cllr Raiff Devlin quizzed senior transport chiefs on the £3.8 million which could be “cancelled” by grant funding.

Cllr Devlin asked: “Could you provide more information on what it is and what it will deliver?”

Cabinet member for transport, Liberal Democrat Cllr Jackie Charlton said: “This sets aside what we think we’ll need to invest.

“When we were working up the plans for sustainable Powys, we have enhanced the (public transport) offer and think it may require a further £3.8 million to deliver and that’s going through to the budget.

“We think it’s quite an exciting project and it is investing to save and to make sure we have a transport system that is fit for purpose.”

Head of transport, John Forsey explained that the intention is to improve public transport links around the five core sustainable Powys towns - Brecon, Llandrindod Wells, Newtown, Welshpool and Ystradgynlais.

Mr Forsey added: “It’s the estimated gross cost of that extra provision.”

He said the council was “working” with Transport for Wales and the Welsh Government to “achieve” grant funding.

Mr Forsey said that once these talks finish, councillors would be updated.

Cllr Devlin said: “If it’s not grant funded, that will be an additional £3.8 million on the revenue budget.

“It concerns me as we don’t have the information on how the budget would be balanced, the business case or any savings.

“At this moment in time I don’t believe we can afford this.”

Chief officer for Place Matt Perry explained that some of the £3.8 million would come from a Welsh Government bus network grant worth £1.7 million to the council.

Mr Perry added other “investment opportunities” were being explored and Ceredigion council is part of a whole Mid Wales transport project.

The Welsh Government recently stated that Mid Wales would be used as a testing bed for proposals that will be part of the government’s “Bus Reform Bill.”

Later in the meeting, Cllr Devlin said: “I’m not entirely satisfied nor assured that we know exactly where the grant funding will meet our own funding in that increase.”

He feared that signing long-term contracts with bus companies for new routes would fall back on the council to pay for if government funding dries up.

Committee vice-chairman Plaid Cymru’s Cllr Gary Mitchell added: “I get the point, if the money is not there, how do we sustain it?

“If we move to the sustainable Powys model then bus services in rural areas will be woeful and just won’t work.”