CROSS-BORDER CONCESSIONARY TRAVEL SCHEME

Early day motion 991, tabled 9 November 2005 by John Cummings (Labour). Signed by 31 members.

That this House welcomes the Chancellor's announcement in the Budget of April 2005 to be implemented from April 2006 permitting free off peak concessionary travel to those aged 60 years of age or older and those registered disabled within a particular geographical area such as the district of Easington; and calls on the Government to ensure that reciprocal arrangements across local authority and Passenger Transport Executive boundaries are in place, to allow use of the concessionary travel pass to adjacent areas such as Teesside, County Durham and Tyne and Wear where hospitals, principal shopping facilities, museums, art galleries and places of entertainment are located, so as to ensure that the elderly and disabled in communities such as Easington can derive maximum benefit from the new concessionary travel scheme and not be disadvantaged by the loss of the existing cross-boundary half fare scheme without suffering increases in council tax.

Signatures by party: Labour 23, Conservative 3, Liberal Democrat 3, DUP 2.