Email to Councillor Dodd
I would be grateful for your help regarding the following matter, which has been brought to my attention by one of our members who lives in your ward. The matter is of concern to several of our members, so rather than pursue it individually; the Executive Committee of The Southport Party has requested me to seek your help in your capacity as a Sefton councillor for Meols Ward and as our representative on Merseytravel regarding this matter.

One of our members, Mr J Carter, wrote to the Southport Area Committee in September last, requesting that free bus travel should be made available between Southport and Ormskirk under the old-age concessionary travel scheme. The reason for this is that many people living in the north and east of our town gain comparatively little benefit from the existing passes as they are centred on Liverpool, rather than Southport. Many of our members do not wish to restrict their outings to the south and naturally often wish to travel to the east and north of their homes. You will be aware of the very considerable cost of bus journeys to Preston and Ormskirk.

In particular, our members are unhappy that they cannot use their passes on buses to travel to Ormskirk (where some of our hospital services have been re-located); they wish to use buses, which in some cases actually pass their front gates. To expect our elderly residents from Meols, Kew, Cambridge and Norwood Wards to travel to their local hospital by going into Southport by bus then by 2 trains to Liverpool and back to Ormskirk, a journey of around 40 miles each way, to avoid a bus journey of some 7.5 miles seems both cruel and bizarre – especially so when it is realised that such journeys are actually funded by the council taxpayer.

Our members feel that the reply, which has been given, is misleading in referring to bus deregulation, as this has nothing to do with concessionary travel, which Merseytravel purchases for residents. We do believe that Merseytravel could buy different bus services for Southport residents if they wished to – and Merseytravel seem to have had no difficulty extending the passes so that Maghull people can travel to Ormskirk. We feel that passes for those Southport residents who wanted it, could be reconfigured to take Ormskirk and Preston bus travel in, but removing an area that is of little use to our residents, such as local buses in Wirral or St Helens.

In the final paragraph, Merseytravel claim that schemes which cross boundaries, only exist in Scotland and Wales, where such schemes are directly funded. In fact the Budget has since announced the universal availability of directly funded bus passes for old-age pensioners, so we would be grateful if you could find out how Merseytravel will be using this direct funding to ensure that our residents can have access to travel passes which cover the whole of the area where they live, including travel to their hospital services in Ormskirk.

S.D.Taylor, Chairman, The Southport Party

Reply from Councillor Dodd:

Thank you for your e-mail. I will make enquiries with Merseytravel. When I receive a reply, I will let you have a copy.
Regards, John Dodd