11th January 2002
The newly-elected Chairperson of the Kettering Lib Dem Youth & Students (LDYS) has condemned the decision by the all-Labour Northants County Council cabinet to scrap free bus passes for hundreds of secondary students in Kettering constituency in a letter to the Kettering Evening Telegraph which is reproduced below.
Dear Sir/Madam,
It seems that the Labour party is making a habit out of getting out of touch with the feelings of the people of Kettering Borough, with the third hugely unpopular decision in less than 6 months. I am, of course, talking about the decision by the all-Labour county council cabinet to scrap free school bus passes for secondary school pupils in Desborough and Burton Latimer, forcing children as young as 12 to walk anything up to 3 miles to school, and in the case of Desborough, along a very busy, yet unlit, road, despite one of the county council’s published aims being “to provide safe routes to school.”
I am now in awe at the logic of the members of the county council cabinet, not one member of which is from a division north of Northampton, which claims that the £850,000 which would be saved from free bus passes would be best used in directly providing education.
However, I put to Cllr. Mick Young and his cabinet colleagues that this decision is effectively forcing children as young as 12 to walk up to 6 miles a day, for 5 days a week, in all weathers and all seasons, and is this the best way to prepare a child to be receptive to a decent standard of education? Unfortunately for those affected, I fear that the answer may be no.
Yours sincerely,
Christopher Nelson
Chairperson, Kettering Liberal Democrat Youth and Students
Related Links
Northamptonshire County Council
Printed and hosted by NTL. Published and promoted by and on behalf of Kettering Liberal Democrat Youth & Students, 24 Richmond Avenue, Kettering, Northants. NN15 5JG