TRAVEL CONCESSIONS (Hansard, 25 January 1967)

Mr. Bob Brown (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, West)

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to remove certain restrictions on the power of local authorities to make arrangements for the granting of travel concessions, and to enable road passenger transport undertakings to make such arrangements. I want to preface my remarks by paying tribute to my right hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Central (Mr. Edward Short), who persisted for so many years with his Travel Concessions Bill and finally, in spite of having it blocked by so many hon. Members opposite, succeeded in getting the Labour Government to put on the Statute Book the Travel Concessions Act, 1964. This Act, it is fair to say, has been a tremendous boon to many thousands of elderly and disabled people who were not able under the terms of the 1955 Act to benefit from con- 1502 cessionary fares. Nevertheless, like many other good Acts it has its deficiencies, which have created anomalies so glaring as to cause it to be seen as an Act which, while benefiting very many old folk, is operating unfairly against many others

The Bill which I seek to introduce seeks to remove two anomalies which exist under the Act of 1955 as amended by the Act of 1964, which I shall hereafter refer to as the existing legislation First, it removes any doubt that private company operators may grant or make arrangements for the granting of travel concessions to qualified persons—being those travel concessions as are defined in the existing legislation. As in the case of municipal transport undertakings, my proposals do not make it mandatory for company operators to grant concessions. They are permissive powers.

Secondly, it enables local authorities, as defined in the existing legislation, to contribute in respect of their own qualified persons towards the cost of concessions granted by either municipal transport undertakings or company operators. Under existing legislation there are two major anomalies. The first is that local authorities, whether operating transport undertakings or not, have no power to contribute towards the cost of travel concessions granted by company operators. Thus, the benefits of the existing legislation are barred to a large proportion of the population whose areas are served only by company operators. I submit that it is quite illogical and unreasonable that Parliament should tolerate a system where benefits such as travel concessions are available in one place and not available in another. It arises through mere historical accident in that in one place a municipality operates its own transport undertaking while in another a company operator provides those services. Accordingly, my proposals will enable any local authority, as defined in existing legislation, to come to an arrangement with a company operator to grant travel concessions and for the local authority to make payment out of the general rate fund

The second major anomaly in the existing legislation arises from Section 1(4) of the Act of 1955. In short, this enables a local authority to contribute towards the cost incurred by a municipal transport undertaking in granting travel 1503 concessions, but it limits this contribution to the costs of operating the concession in the area of the contributing local authority only. May I quote the example of my own constituency—and I am as human as anyone else in the Chamber in wishing to quote my own constituency. The Newcastle City Council operates a transport undertaking in its own area and also in the area of six other local authorities.

If one of those six authorities wants Newcastle Corporation to grant travel facilities to qualified persons in that outside authority, the latter can contribute only towards the cost of the concessions for that part of the journey wholly in that outside area. It cannot do what is obviously sensible, which is to contribute in respect of its own qualified persons for travel concessions to apply throughout the whole area of the Newcastle transport services.

This is a very real restriction and particularly exacerbates the situation where, under municipal rehousing programmes, residents who have long enjoyed travel concessions in Newcastle are rehoused outside the boundaries, and immediately lose their travel concessions.

One of the outside authorities in whose area Newcastle Corporation operates is Newburn Urban District Council, part of my constituency, which has a population of more than 30,000. So far as I can ascertain, the number of men over 65 years of age and women over 60—that is, "qualified persons" under the existing legislation—is in the region of 4,000. In addition, adjacent to my constituency, in the Hexham constituency, is an overspill estate, Newbiggin Hall Estate, which was built by Newcastle Corporation and on which I estimate there are 500 old people, all of whom were formerly City residents enjoying this 1504 travel concession. None of them now enjoys it. In fact, we have the situation in my constituency, and in this overspill estate, in which well over 4,000 old people are being deprived of travel concessions which it was firmly intended by my right hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Central should apply to them when he so persistently advocated that legislation.

I have referred to my constituency, but I am sure that the examples I have quoted could be repeated throughout Britain. I know, for example, that it happens in Bristol and Exeter. There are authorities which are using these anomalies as a reason for not granting even the concessions which it would now be possible for them to give. For this, if for no other reason, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport should look sympathetically at the position I have stated. While I appreciate that she is at present engaged on an urgent investigation into the operation of the 1964 Act, with a view to amendment if this is deemed necessary, I suggest that the Bill which I seek leave to introduce should receive her assistance, even though amendments may be necessary following the completion of her review.