Concessionary Travel
Debate between Andrew Jones and Karen Lumley(13 years, 5 months ago)
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Karen Lumley
I agree with my hon. Friend and I look forward to hearing the Minister’s reply to the debate in a few moments’ time.
The Government have promised to examine smarter ways of administering the bus service operators grant subsidies, as well as a system that more clearly—
Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate and I thank her for giving way.
In the area that I represent—Harrogate and Knaresborough—the actual cost to Harrogate district council of concessionary fares in 2009-10 was £2.9 million and yet the total special and formula grant received was only £1.5 million, leaving the balance of £1.4 million to be met by local taxpayers.
As the grant is reallocated, with responsibility for the service transferring to the county council, it is quite important that we allocate the grant and not the cost that county councils and district councils have been facing, so that the local taxpayers of Harrogate district council are not hit twice.
Karen Lumley
I totally agree with my hon. Friend and let us hope that we can move on to the type of system that he has just suggested.
We need to look at a system that allows local communities and local authorities to determine how the funding that is allocated to their area should be spent, but I do not think that we have seen any evidence of such a system yet. I ask the Minister today to reconsider the proposed changes in the light of the cumulative effects that they will have, not only on district councils and local authorities but on the provision of vital services for our elderly and disabled people. I also ask him to address these issues as a matter of urgency.