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Reading Save Our Services secure partial victory with petition urging a change to Council policy
On Tuesday 28th June, Reading SOS [1] presented a petition [2] at the full Council meeting requesting that the decision to restrict the use of concessionary bus passes for disabled and elderly people be overturned. This action has resulted in a partial victory for the campaign
The previous administration, led by a Lib Dem-Conservative coalition, decided that as part of its austerity measures the use of concessionary passes provided for disabled and older people would be restricted. It was decided that the bus passes would not be permitted to be used on public transport before 9.30 am and after 11pm.
In just a couple of weeks, Reading Save Our Services (SOS) collected hundreds of signatures from people demanding that the decision be overturned. Many saw the cut as unnecessary, hitting the vulnerable in our society the hardest. Disabled people attending college courses designed to help them develop the skills necessary to participate fully in society now can’t get to their courses because they start at 9am. Volunteers helping run the tea shop and deliver newspapers in the Royal Berks Hospital now can’t use their bus passes to fulfil their commitments, meaning many must reconsider whether they can afford to volunteer. Patients attending appointments at the hospital now have to pay because the Royal Berks state you have to arrive for the appointment before 9am. Such was the strength of feeling against this cut, even Ed Donald, chief executive of the Royal Berkshire Hospital said he would be writing to his counterpart in the Council questioning this decision [3].
One of the people who signed the petition, who wished to remain anonymous, said ‘the nature of my brother’s disability means he’s in a low paid job and this extra cost on a daily basis has hit him hard. It is extremely frustrating that a disabled person who has overcome so many obstacles to play a worthwhile role in society is being discouraged from doing so because it’s too expensive.’ Kat Dixon, 25, from SOS who presented the petition added, ‘we in SOS oppose all public sector cuts, but this particular cut astonished us in its vindictive and petty nature because the social and economic impact on people already in a vulnerable situation far outweighs the relatively small savings.’
At the full meeting of the Council on 28th June, Cllr Tony Page pledged that the “new Labour administration is committed to reinstating the bus pass concessions for people with disabilities and their carers/escorts so that they can travel before 9.30am” stating that the previous administration “introduced these changes in a mean-minded and ham-fisted fashion” [4]. Councillor Page further pledged to present a report to Council on 11th July revisiting the decision to remove these restrictions on senior citizens. Reading Save Our Service strongly welcomes this victory, and recognising it is only a partial victory, will continue our campaign to reinstate full bus concessions for all who previously used and relied upon them.
Notes for Editors
[1] SOS Reading is an umbrella campaign. We are made up of affiliated organisations, issue-specific campaigns and Local Teams. We campaign on a no cuts platform, aiming to stop all public sector cuts, and offer viable alternatives. See http://www.sos-reading.org.uk/ or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
[2] Link to the online petition: “Petition Against Changes to Use of Concessionary Bus Passes” http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/readingbuspass/
[3]http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/s/2090681_bus_pass_changes_impact_on_hospital_volunteers
[4] Statement made by Councillor Page in the Council meeting on the 28th June in response to the SOS petition.
