2:59pm Wednesday 16th January 2013
It is interesting to read the letter from Mr Cleary (9th January) re the Swindon Dial-A-ride operation which he thinks is run by Transport for London.
I was under the impression from information on the internet that it was operated by a local voluntary organisation supported by grants from Swindon Borough Council, who at this moment appear once again to be threatening to cut the subsidy it provides.
So far as the number of people who Mr Cleary sees on the Dial-A-Ride transport, I can only assume he has never been at a supermarket or Davis Place when the Dial-A-Ride buses are dropping off or picking up quite a large number of passengers each time. Certainly there are bound to be occasions when there is only one person on the bus, for example when they happen to be the first or last to be picked up or returned home.
I have no doubt that there are other times when there is only one person on board for surely Dial-A Ride are not going to refuse to take somebody just because they are the only person in that area who wants a trip.
Similarly, it can’t be all that efficient to take passengers on a round trip of Swindon just so that they can meet, converse with others and see different sights of Swindon that they may not have seen before!
I am sure that the Dial-A-Ride service has to be run as an efficient and effective service, especially as the subsidy that they receive was slashed by, I seem to remember, some £50,000 about two years ago.
I would be interested to learn what Mr Cleary would like to see happen to the service, which is obviously so necessary to a large number of Swindon people who would otherwise end up being housebound.
Perhaps he would be able to offer some suggestions as to how he thinks the service can be improved so that it can become an efficient service, if indeed it is not already so, as obviously Mr Cleary must have some insider knowledge to come out with the statements he made in his letter. Mike Large Stratton St Margaret, Swindon
Census tells all
What an amazing place the Harbour Project on Broad street must be! (No Dictatorship, Martin Webb, Adver 9th January). Does one take the Yellow Brick road to get there? All will be revealed!
Clearly Martin Webb has chosen to ignore the results of the latest Census report. It laid bare the staggering scale of immigration. To even hear English spoken on local buses and cafes is becoming increasingly rare. Many don't bother to learn English and remain cocooned in their own communities. How else do societies hold together, other than by speaking the same language?
The Census reveals that 7.5 million people BORN ABROAD are now resident in the UK. Last month Ed Milliband stated this was cause for celebration! Talk about out of touch. Little wonder green belt sites are about to go under concrete.
What is the most disturbing element of all, however, is that there has been no major public debate about it.
Last month it was reported that Eastern European immigrants working here and accepting minimum wages or less, has led to a fall of seven per cent in agricultural wages. Belgium and Holland do not accept such workers.
Worst of all, Martin Webb, is New Labour itself who last year admitted that their open door immigration policy wasn't for the good of the country after all but to keep them in power.
J Adams Bloomsbury, Swindon
A country divided
David Cameron and Nick Clegg in their mid-term review of their government announced their achievements to date.
Their biggest achievements, with the help of the Tory supporting tabloids are: Turning working people against working people, able bodied people against disabled people, so-called white, indigenous Britons against anybody who is, or appears to be, an immigrant.
A remarkable achievement in seeing hundreds of food banks opening across the country but Chris Steward, a millionaire stockbroker and Tory councillor in rural West York says there is no need for food banks and that they are used by people who can’t budget and allows the users to spend more money on cigarettes and alcohol.
Not forgetting their other achievements in taking this country back into recession and also awarding the wealthy and elite of the country a tax cut and an extra £107,000 a year.
The real achievement of this Government is that they have created an angry and divided society.
Congratulations Dave and Nick on your wonderful achievements.
Martin Webb Swindon Road, Swindon
Slippery slope?
It’s good to see that Great Britain has reached its target for renewable energy to save the planet.
Meanwhile, they are still building ski slopes in Dubai.
C J Meek Cloche Way, Swindon
© Copyright 2001-2013 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk
http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/trade_directory/