- Conference
- 2016 National Retired Members Conference
- Date
- 3 June 2016
- Decision
- Carried
Conference is concerned at the government cuts to councils for bus services, £27m in the current year and the impact this will have on rural communities who depend on bus services to get around. Rural bus services are being wiped out in many areas of England and Wales due to cuts in subsidies. Described by Campaign for Better Transport as on a par with the Beeching plans of the 60s to scale down the rail network, government spending on buses has been slashed by £78m since 2010.
Conference recognises that the groups most affected by these cuts are those entitled to concessionary travel ie retired and disabled people and that it could leave already remote communities effectively cut off and already isolated retired people totally isolated removing their ability to get out and about and meet people, engage in activities, visit relatives/friends etc.
Conference believes this is yet another invidious way in which the government is targeting elderly/retired people in its obsession with cuts to public services. Whilst so far it has not targeted universal benefits directly, and it promotes a narrative that young people are the most affected by the current economic climate, it is simultaneously cutting most of the services upon which retired people rely. The Shadow Transport minister stated “David Cameron promised to keep the free bus pass but he cut the buses instead”. Clearly a free bus pass is only useful where there’s a bus service on which it can be used.
Furthermore the Local Government Association is concerned at the increasing cuts to concessionary travel services believing the way the scheme is currently funded has long been unfit for purpose and has not kept up with growing demand and cost. It concludes: “unless the government commits to fully funding concessionary fares, vital bus services that support the most vulnerable in our society will continue to come under pressure.”
Conference believes that this situation must be addressed as a matter of urgency and the disingenuous approach of the government publicised as widely as possible so that retired people are aware that whilst they may currently continue to “enjoy” their universal benefits, the services upon which they depend are being systematically cut thus reducing the benefit they confer.
Conference therefore instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee to:
1)Liaise with the National Executive Council (NEC), National Pensioners’ Convention and other relevant bodies to address this issue and consider a campaign to bring it to wider public knowledge;
2)Ask retired members to write to their MPs on this issue and seek the support of working members to do the same;
3)Liaise with Labour Link through the NEC to seek their support for proper funding of concessionary travel;
4)Report back to Retired Members’ Conference 2017