GOVERNMENT funding for Dorset's transport systems of £158million over the coming years will be inadequate – councillors have been told.

Most of the first phase money, over £125million up until 2031, will be spent on road maintenance with around £13million for buses although there is no money for revenue support for bus services in the final year of the first phase plan.

The Government say they will announce that figure following its next spending review. The fears are it will be less than in preceding years.

Overall the county's Local Transport Plan, to 2041, received a lukewarm welcome from most councillors when it was discussed at a Place and Resources Overview Committee.

Dorset councillors have been told that the money should improve all transport services and address long-standing concerns about the state of roads and pavements as well as increasing walking, wheeling an cycling opportunities.

It is said to be the first plan to give multi-year guarantees of funding which will help the council and transport services plan ahead.

The plan will now go to the council's Cabinet and full Council for a final decision.

Green councillor Linda Bawden from Lyme Regis and Charmouth said she welcomed the over-arching principles of the report but had concerns about connectivity between public transport services in West Dorset, including with Axminster rail station.

Verwood councillor Simon Gibson said he welcomed the ambition in the proposal to have at least hourly buses for most communities from 7am until 7pm, although said there was little within the plan for his own area, accepting that there had to be priorities.

"There is nothing in this for my residents to be pleased about, beyond the principles across wider Dorset," he said.. "If feels that if you don't live in the conurbation (Bournemouth/Poole) or one of the major towns in the centre and west it isn't an equitable plan."

Cllr Sherry Jespersen, the Conservative shadow spokesperson on the environment, welcomed changes which had been made to the Local Transport Plan as it progressed.

"There is much in this plan that I like but where my heart slightly sinks.. is that some of the vision is not reflected in planning decisions, or the draft Local Plan which continues to propose housing developments in areas which are wholly dependent on car transport."

She also criticised the position which she said continued to support bus services where they already exist, but did nothing for communities currently without buses.

"I know you put your money where you get the biggest bang for your buck but that will never improve services for many rural areas," she said.

The council's head of highways, Jack Wiltshire, admitted that Dorset did badly for bus funding, compared to all neighbouring councils, but said the Government continued to be pressed to improve the funding.

Charminster councillor David Taylor said the money needed was not available and, without it, the full extent of the proposals were unlikely to be implemented.

He highlighted the lack of connectivity between cycleways, byways and some other routes.

He also called for 'future-proofing' for holiday routes, claiming that in the holiday period in Dorchester, and some other areas, the roads were overloaded and often ground to a near halt.

Cllr Piers Brown said there was a lack of ambition by everyone to resolve the capacity of the county's road network – "the bypass around Dorchester is an absolute disaster at rush hour, as is trying to go through town," he said, adding that Blandford had similar issues.

"Three quarters of all journeys in Dorset are by car … we need to address that… we need to reduce the amount of time people spend sitting in traffic," he said.

Cllr Roland Tarr claimed it was 'ridiculous' that very few pupils now cycled to schools because there were few safe routes. He added that Dorchester's Thomas Hardye School pupils who lived in rural areas had to forgo after school activities because they were unable to get home on public transport.