Wokingham

Wokingham District councillors are unhappy the Government's new legislation to provide pensioners with free travel tokens could hit council tax payers in the pocket.

The council already offers half fare bus passes, Wokingham District Council travel tokens and a third off most rail travel to its OAPs and disabled residents.

But the Government has decided all local authorities must provide free off-peak bus passes to elderly and disabled people by next spring - and could leave the council to foot the bill.

Wokingham District council chief executive Doug Patterson has written to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to ask that Wokingham is fully funded from a national pot.

At a meeting of the full council last Thursday, Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Coling Lawley said: "I welcome the Government's decision regarding the provision of free off-peak bus passes for elder-ly and disabled residents.

"Having introduced such a scheme then it would be expected that the Government fully fund it and not put pressure on the council tax.

"However, that remains to be seen."

Wokingham Deputy Lib Dem leader Cllr Prue Bray said: "Making local authorities pay for a national Government initiative is fundamentally unfair and all councils should be writing to the Government to say so."

The council has also committed to continue with its current concessionary fares scheme and will look at ways of increasing the value of its free travel tokens, which can be used for trains and taxis as well as buses.

"It will also continue to provide its discounted rail pass scheme."

Cllr Bray said: "Our residents want a choice when it comes to concessionary fares.

"Bus services in this area are not comprehensive enough to cover all the journeys people need to make and some people cannot actually get on buses in any case."

Wokingham Transport leader Cllr Anthony Pollock said: "I do think the tokens will continue to be popular with local residents and we would like to keep them."

ic Berkshire ~ Nov 3 2005