Welsh elderly and disabled charged to enter England (Montgomeryshire Liberal Democrats)

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Montgomeryshire Liberal Democrats <montlibdems@gmail.com>

Welsh elderly and disabled charged to enter England

April 2, 2008 10:49 AM

As the Labour Government in Westminster extends free off-peak bus travel for pensioners and disabled travellers in England, Liberal Democrats team up to resolve the impasse in free cross border travel and call for an integrated scheme for concessionary bus travel across the UK, backed with sufficient funding, so that the elderly and disabled are no longer caught out by unexpected charges.

The scheme which has been extended today (April 1st) has been criticised by the Local Government Association, which states that about 30 councils were predicting funding shortfalls of up to £2million. Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Öpik has also written to the Secretary of State for Transport who revealed that there have been no discussions between the Welsh Assembly and Westminster over the extension of free cross-border bus travel for pensioners between England and Wales.

In Westminster Lib Dem MP Lembit Öpik comments: "The Labour Government in Westminster has extended a fundamental scheme but with fundamental flaws. Any strategy must be well costed in advance - clearly the Government has failed to add up the figures as councils are expecting millions in shortfalls. It is vital that these calculations are reviewed so that local councils do not pick up the tab for Labour's mistakes.

"I am shocked to find that so little has been done to improve cross border travel for pensioners in Wales. There is not even a suggestion of dialogue between ministers on the matter. How are we to expect a fairer system of public transport for pensioners, when the simple issue of cross border travel has been swept aside."

Across the border Lib Dem AM Mick Bates states: "I am disappointed that the Labour-Plaid Assembly Government and Westminster colleagues could not sit down and resolve the issue of reciprocal travel cross border before the scheme was extended in England. Public transport is vital for the elderly and disabled to access leisure facilities, medical services and shops as well as visit friends and relatives, yet in cross border areas travellers still face the worry of unexpected charges.

"The current scheme where local authorities in cross border areas can fund travel at their own cost and discretion is simply too complicated and causes needless confusion to passengers and bus operators alike. With better planning and sufficient funding free bus travel could have been introduced across the whole of England and Wales for disabled and elderly passengers which would bring an end this confusion."

Heather Kidd, Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Ludlow and Bridgnorth adds: "The only problem is nobody in either Government has been talking to one another about what happens in a border area like ours where people regularly travel across the border. As it stands a pensioner in my village - Chirbury - will be able to travel free to Newcastle upon Tyne but have to pay to go shopping a few miles down the road in Welshpool."