Leader denies claims that bus pass move will harm charities

11:32am Monday 21st April 2008

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By Jim Entwistle »

DARLINGTON Borough Council leader John Williams has denied claims that the scrapping of pensioners' bus passes before 9.30am will affect charities in the town.

Councillor Williams, of the Labour executive, defended the controversial rule amid criticism from Conservative councillors Mike and Gill Cartwright, from the Harrowgate Hill ward.

The row surrounds an application for council funding from the Friends of Darlington Memorial Hospital, a charity which takes patients to and from the hospital.

The organisation has applied for a community grant to cover the additional costs it faces as a result of the new bus pass rule, which came into force on April 1.

Councillor Mike Cartwright urged Coun Williams to reconsider the change.

"This once again demonstrates that the decision to scrap early morning bus travel by Labour leader John Williams was a ridiculous idea," he said.

"It causes real problems for the people of Darlington and could result in loss of support for the voluntary sector, with which the council is always encouraging partnership working."

But Coun Williams denied that the move represented a loss of support for the voluntary sector.

He said: "We have dealt with this very effectively and to the satisfaction of the charity involved.

There is no issue here - it is pure speculation.

"We invited the Friends of Darlington Memorial Hospital to apply for the community grant scheme. I spoke to its chairman, Alan Charlton, and he was happy to apply. We look forward to being able to help them."

Coun Gill Cartwright said other charities were likely to claim, and that this could cost the council through community grants to the voluntary sector.

She said: "We have yet to see any evidence that the scrapping of the passes will result in any real financial saving.

"Other charities and organisations may well follow suit and apply for community grants, in which case the council will rightly foot the bill anyway.

"I would strongly urge Coun Williams to take this decision back to cabinet for a review"

But Coun Williams denied Mrs Cartwright's claims and said he would not be reviewing the scheme.

He said: "I'm not aware of any more charities affected, but if there are any out there, I would encourage them to make themselves known and we can then help them accordingly."