Protestors will descend on Hertfordshire County Council to oppose “fantasy” bus cuts on Friday.

More than 1,500 people responded to the latest consultation and the results have been published this week, ahead of the proposals going before Hertfordshire County Council’s Highways and Waste Management Panel on Friday.

There are plans to cut £858,000 from the budget in 2015/16 and under current proposals, this is set to rise to £1.471 million in 2016/17.

Some of the protestors are expected to be dressed as fictional characters, including Cinderella and Prince Charming, with one senior campaigner describing the cuts as “pure fantasy".

Terry Figg from Save our Buses Hertfordshire said: “It is pure fantasy for the council to think these cuts to local bus services are needed and they will be going against the wishes of thousands of people who have signed our petition.

“If Cinderella relied on Hertfordshire's buses to get home from the ball she would have to leave before 7:30pm not midnight."

In November, council chiefs proposed even deeper cuts than the £700,000 worth of cuts already planned and the Cabinet approved another consultation in December.

Of the 1,582 people who responded, 1097 said they were against the proposals to withdraw funding for County Council subsidised services after 7.30pm, with just 197 supporting the plans.

Almost 1,000 also objected to plans to slash the funding for services on Sundays, except those serving hospitals and 226 people supported the plans.

The “Value for Money Criteria” could also be changed to determine “which routes and services will receive funding” and this includes cost per passenger journey and need.

But the council’s own document admits this “would mean some services would reduce or cease running” under the new criteria.

The Highways and Waste Management Panel will be given four option, including adopting the proposals as set out in the consultation, amending the proposals and the example given in the report is “changing the order of the value for money criteria”.

It also suggests making the cuts by cutting “other county council services” and goes on to say: “Use contingency funds to meet the £0858m required saving in the current financial year and consider in the Integrated Plan 2016/17 onwards other actions to balance the County Council’s budget”.

Martin Abrams, Public Transport Campaigner at Campaign for Better Transport said: “The protest will possibly be the last chance for the public to show their opposition to these damaging bus cuts before the council makes its final decision.

“There are huge social, economic and environmental benefits in having a good local bus service which plays a vital role in the community.”