IN response to the request from Brian Baker, chairman of the North Ryedale Public Transport Group, for Thirsk and Malton Parliamentary candidates to outline our views on how to reverse the decline of bus services, I would like to reply as the Liberal Democrat candidate.

I agree with Mr Baker that the decline in bus services in rural areas is deplorable and hugely damaging. Sadly, the move away from publicly-run to privatised operations started buses on the road to ruin.

Seeds of the destruction were sown by the Margaret Thatcher’s government, which deregulated the buses resulting in fewer passengers, who were left paying higher fares, for fewer buses, and crucially in today’s climate, ended the subsidy of loss-making services from profitable routes.

This problem is disguised in rural areas in the constituency, hiding a reality of individuals and families who can’t afford the luxury of a car facing social isolation due to cuts in public transport.

In the current economic climate, it is unlikely that bus services will be adequately subsidised by the county council. A long-term solution has to be based on continuing to restore the economy trashed by Labour, whose treasury secretary left a note saying, “there’s no money left”. Four years of austerity and hardship later it still isn’t funny.

Ultimately, the solution for the buses is to rebuild the economy, which in Liberal Democrat terms means preventing the worst of deeper cuts by the Tories in the next parliament and restraining Labour from running the bus into another wall. Investment in buses will depend on turning the economic corner, but while that happens we need to look at community transport schemes.

Ryedale Community Transport runs services that help individuals and groups who live in rural areas without regular buses. Similar schemes in Thirsk and Scarborough are run by volunteer drivers and coordinated by paid staff.

Some may consider these schemes are not the solution to transport provision, but where they operate they do at least go some way to fill a gap in the market.

Di Keal, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Thirsk and Malton, Ryedale district and Norton town councillor

 

• AS the Prospective Green Party candidate for Thirsk and Malton, I am pleased to respond to Brian Baker’s concerns about buses.

Our concern as Greens is to ensure that rural communities in Ryedale don’t become isolated and in particular frail and elderly people don’t feel “trapped” in their own homes. We advocate a fully-funded public transport system that gives good, regular, reliable and affordable access.

We actively encourage the use of public transport in preference to the growing use and reliance on private cars. We recognise that providing good bus access is particularly challenging in our area, with so many small villages and hamlets to cover, but we believe this is a priority and essential if the life and vibrancy of our rural communities is to be maintained and enhanced.

Everyone should be given the opportunity and freedom to be able to visit friends and relatives, go shopping and to enjoy evening entertainment knowing they can rely on buses and other funded transport services to enable this to happen.

The question of funding comes down to our priorities and how locally and nationally we chose to spend tax payers money. Rural isolation and the inability to be able to get out and about are known causes of stress and illness and we lose so much as a society if we allow people, their talents and experiences to be shut away because they can’t do things that other people take for granted.

Alongside protecting and re-establishing bus services, we would also wish to promote car sharing and pooling schemes and public funding for schemes such as Ryecat to supplement bus services. For those able to cycle we would also encourage greater use of cycling by promoting safer roads and new cycle ways.

Chris Newsam, West Heslerton