ON many occasions during my years as a Labour councillor in Redditch, people asked me: "Will we lose our bus passes and free travel?"

I always gave the same answer: "While you have a Labour council, your passes are safe."

At the local elections only four months ago, the Conservatives became the largest party on the council and the Liberal Democrats now number five.

Together, these two have now decided to make pensioners and the disabled pay fares on buses.

My understanding is that at the council meeting last Monday, all the Tories and Lib Dems voted against continued free travel for OAPs and disabled people.

My near neighbours in Winyates and Matchborough will note this includes Lib Dem councillors Springhall and Stanley from Winyates and Tory councillors Clayton and Kenny from Matchborough.

Also, I understand voting against continued free travel was Councillor Karen Lumley's idea, whose ambition it is to become your next MP.

The Labour group voted to keep free travel but were outvoted.

I have retained enough knowledge of council finances to know that any extra cost of continued free travel could have been found from both balances and council tax.

Council balances are always larger at the end of the financial year than was budgeted for at the beginning. The extra cost to the average council tax household would probably be a matter of a few pence per week.

The combined Tories and Lib Dems will now force OAPs and disabled people with council passes going by bus just twice a week to part with 30p for each single journey, amounting in that case to £62.40 per year.

People will, I think, remember Conservative leader Councillor Gavin Smithers' cry of: "We want to make a difference."

Well, he has.

With the Lib Dems, he has made it a lot worse for people on pensions and people with disabilities who use the bus service.

I await the next lot of Tory cuts, which will assuredly come.

Albert Wharrad

Former Council Leader

Ibstock Close

Winyates East