Motions calling for a halt to proposals to make up to £1.5m of cuts to the county’s bus services were thrown out by council chiefs.

Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors proposed separate motions to Hertfordshire County Council pleading for the Conservative-led authority to put the brakes on plans to slash spending on the buses.

But both motions were rejected at County Hall on Tuesday morning.

Labour called the decision a "disgrace" with the Lib Dems accusing the Tories of ignoring residents and the outcome of the council’s own public consultation, in which just 30 people supported the plans.

Councillor Nigel Bell said: "It’s a disgrace that our motion to stop the bus cuts has been rejected by the Tory majority at County Hall.

"We are determined to stand up for residents in towns across the county, like Watford, against the Conservatives adopting these cuts due to them accepting the policies of their coalition government." 

Lid Dem Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst, leader of the opposition on the county council said: "The Tories have admitted the consultation they have chosen to ignore cost taxpayers £16,000. 

"What they haven't disclosed is how much the Council Taxpayers of Hertfordshire have paid for the salaries of the five staff who worked on this full-time for four months. 

"Instead, they could have been working with bus operators, user groups, the NHS and councils to find ways of improving bus services and usage, as well as reducing costs."

Councillor Terry Douris, cabinet member for highways and waste anagement at the county council, rejected both parties’ claims and said the proposed cuts would affect just two percent of all journeys.

He said: "I don’t believe it is a disgrace and we have not yet made any decisions, other than to go out again to public consultation to refine the proposals.

"It’s important to stress 760,000 journeys out of 35,500,000 would be affected, at a time when the bus operators do not believe they are commercially viable.

"It might be important to those on the buses but we have all seen only two or three people on some routes."

He added the second consultation will ask residents whether or not they support the plans and the reasons for their answer. 

County Hall’s revised plans include cutting about £1.5m from the bus budget - more than double the original level of proposed savings.

It also includes cutting funding from contracted services after 7.30pm Monday to Saturday and axing cash for services on a Sunday.

Routes serving hospitals will be protected up to 7.30pm on Sundays.

The proposals will be put before Cabinet on December 15. If they are approved, the consultation is expected to be launched in January.

At Watford Borough Council’s Full Council meeting, members agreed a motion proposed by Councillor Matt Turmaine condeming the cuts as council chiefs called on MP Richard Harrington to stand up for bus users.

The Elected Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill wrote an open letter to Mr Harrington urging him to "use his personal influence".

It read: "I will be writing to the Leader of the Council, Rob Gordon, urging him to reject the proposal of a further consultation and to use the opportunity to make public transport more efficient.

"I ask you to do likewise and condemn these proposed cuts, which I have already shown are not only not wanted but not needed to meet the County Council’s financial targets.

"Indeed you could use your personal influence to persuade a member of the Watford Conservatives who sits on the County Council Cabinet to stand up for residents - some 2,000 who signed a separate petition against these cuts.

"This will leave tens of thousands of people without access to public transport when they need it."

Mr Harrington told the Observer he had contacted the county and was meeting Councillor Gordon on Friday to discuss the issue.

He added: "We have already seen a number of changes to the proposals since the original consultation, for example routes such as the W19 will no longer be affected.

"I am confident that there will be more news soon on other routes. I am continuing to make the case for Watford and Abbots Langley."