Councillor Chris Lofts, Councillor for Brook Ward in Towcester, spoke at yesterdays Full Council meeting in County Hall, Northampton.

He asked the County Council to overturn there decision to remove the companion travel passes for those eligible for concessionary travel.

Chris highlighted a particular case in Towcester where a resident with two dependants, a son and husband who both qualify for concessionary fares but who are not able to travel without assistance. Leading to a cost burden upon the family to be able to get either the Husband or Son to medical appointments outside Towcester.

The current situation has only occurred since the Conservative County Council took over the running of the concessionary travel scheme in April this year. The provision of the companion travel passes was previously funded by the District Council allowing those needing assistance in travel to travel in safety and as such promote a higher degree of independence.

Scott Collins, Parliamentary Spokeperson for South Northamptonshire said

“This is an issue that resonates across the whole of the country. It is clear not just in Northamptonshire but elsewhere that since County authorities have taken over the funding they are not willing to fund the concessionary schemes to anything like the levels that Districts and Boroughs have been doing so over the previous years.

The driver for County Councils seems to to do the absolute mnimum they scheem requires and scrap any of the common sense parts that were previously funded by local councils.

Filling the self created financial black whole is all well and good but it should not be done off the backs of the most vulnerable in society. Unlike some County Councillors the option of a taxi to every appointment is not an option.

Maybe the County Council should look at their own spending before crippling the most vulnerable in our society?”

The full text of Chris Lofts question to the County Councils Budget is below

“I ask that Council overturns its decision not to award free bus passes to companions of persons in receipt of concessionary travel support. A few residents who receive concessionary travel passes cannot travel alone and need the assistance of a companion. Indeed I know of one resident who has two dependants, her husband and her son, who both qualify for free bus passes and neither is able to travel alone. They both make regular visits to Northampton general Hospital and the cost for the family places a real burden on their finances.

I am concerned that Northamptonshire County Council has not continued many District Councils’ policy of issuing concessionary travel passes to companions of residents who themselves qualify for concessionary travel.

I note that the policy decision by the county council impacts on the most vulnerable members of the community and particularly those living in rural and semi-rural areas such as South Northamptonshire.

I highlight that the cost to the county council to implement the policy change across the whole county would be only £50,000 as it affects only 1% of recipients of concessionary travel.

I further raise the issue that the county council’s own Equalities Impact Assessment identified the need to mitigate the impact of this policy change. However, the county council has failed to implement any of the recommended measures.

I repeat my request, therefore, that the Council overturns the decision to penalise the most vulnerable members of the Northamptonshire community and re-instates free bus passes for companions of qualifying residents.”

The response given by Cllr Jim Harker leader of the Conservative administration of the County Council was clear and unequivocal.

“We fund the scheme to the current level and any addition to the scheme must be funded by local councils who previously funded the extras.

We are not required or funded to provide companion travel therefore if any local council wishes to join our scheme to provide the companion travel passes then we are willing to allow them to do so”

Commenting after the meeting Scott Collins said

“The response from the leader of the council was incredible. It is clear that even though local councils were previously willing to provide the companion passes, under the exact same funding that the County Council currently receives, they are not willing to continue the help for those whose needs are greatest.

It was also obvious that the County Councils refusal to take up the recommendations in the Equalities Impact Assessment shows their blinkered view of the the service that’s needed and the service they actually supply.

Unfortunately the option of taking a taxi to every appointment like a particular County Councillor is not one that is open these people in need of companions to ensure their journeys are safe and without undue stress.

Maybe the Conservative Administration should look to their own spending rather than filling the Councils self created financial black hole with cuts to the services affecting the most vulnerable in society?

A civilized act would not be to balance the bottom line of the budget on the backs of those most in need of the Councils support rather than cutting the services they need from beneath their feet.”

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