MP fights barrier against concession fare subsidies
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FROM OUR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT r ET local councils pay travel 1-4 concession subsidies to the private operators as well . . . this is the demand of Mr. Bob Brown, Labour MP for Newcastle West, and also the opinion of many other MPs who are watching the working of the Travel Concessions Act.
The Act was one of Labour's first moves when they won power in 1964. But although it was supposed to iron out injustices brought to the attention of another Newcastle Member, Mr. Edward Short (now Postmaster-General), and Mr Wilson, the system is still by no means working properly.
Impatient at the time being taken by Mrs. Castle to make up her mind about what to do, Mr. Brown is now bringing in a private Member's Bill to remove the restrictions which still hedge the local authorities in making cheap fare arrange ments for the old, the blind, the disabled and the young.
He is certain to have the support of Labour MPs from other big cities such as Liverpool and Birmingham, who have always been anxious to get this scheme working properly.
Mr. Brown pointed out this week that the permissive powers of the Act meant that while some Councils in the big conurbations were applying the scheme, others were not, with ridiculous results when a concession passenger travelled over one authority's boundary into the next.
With large overspill schemes operating in most of these big areas, many old and disabled people could not get a cheap ride all the way. Many authorities were reluctant to use their powers because they had private bus companies operating the same routes, and they felt they should not subsidize corporation transport only, said Mr. Brown. Another drawback to the scheme was that in no circumstances could a local council subsidize a journey beyond its own borders, even though in its own transport.
"If we were to include the right to allow councils to subsidize the private operators this would take away the peg on which many of the arguments have been hung," he said.
Mr. Brown sought the permission of the Commons to publish his Bill on Wednesday this week.
When it is debated soon, the Transport Minister may he ready to say something about the investigation which has been going on since last summer.
Despite persistent questioning in the Commons, all that the Ministry's spokesmen have so far said is that the review must be expected to take a longtime.
The lengthy examination of well-known anomalies—the type of delay which seems to afflict all bus problems—is beginning to anger some MPs.