P.M. Approached on Area Schemes C ONTINUING its campaign against area
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schemes for road passenger transport';.the National Union of Ratepayers' Associations has sent a letter to Mr. Attlee, urging the Government to give "serious consideration to the desirability of avoiding any further encroachment on the rights and powers of the ordinary citizen."
At a recent conference the Association passed a resolution condemning the proposed plans for the northern arid -eastern areas. In the present letter it states that its many hundreds of thousands of members are perturbed at the growing tendency to deprive local authorities and citizens of any effective control over serVices and amenities in their own areas: Strong exception is taken, the letter continues, to the proposals, which, if approved; will substitute centralized control for" the. democratic provisions of the Road Traffic Acts, which ensured a hearing in local courts of complaints about local services.
Ratepayers at Cardiff echoed this plea at a recent meeting.
Manchester Transport Committee, meeting last week, expressed its agreement with the policy of the Association of Municipal Corporations to preserve local control of local services. Later, copies of a resolution were forwarded to the Road Passenger.Executive urging that if i,"alea • or 'di4rict boards Were appointed,the members should be chosen :from 'electedrepresentatives of the people, and that local control was essential to develop and implement social serviCeS. • • Nuneaton Borough Council has also decided to inform the A.M.C. that it supports this Vies. • :
Southport ToWn Council expresses opposition to the nationalization of road passenger transport in letters Co Mr. R. S. Hudson, M.P., and to. the
Confirming the fight in the eastern area, the Passenger Vehicle Operators Association has invited all operators and booking agents in the London and Home Counties to a meeting to be held at Kingsway Hall, London, W.C.2, on December 15, at 7 p.m. Mr. John Birch (national chairman), Mr. F. J. Speight (vice-chairman) and Mr. F. A. Walker (national secretary) will speak.
The Association points out that every operator who enters the eastern area is likely to be 'affected by the proposed area scheme.