IN THE early sixties I worked on accounts in the Town Hall, Oxford, under the then City Engineer Mr Campbell Riddell.

He ran a tight ship, and regarded the city council as the ‘guardian angels’ of Oxford supplying all services and amenities to all residents in Oxford.

He was especially proud of the bus service, and had his name endorsed on every city bus.

The buses ran from every estate in Oxford, and he would say: “What is the point of all these amenities if the people cannot get there?”

With Oxfordshire County Council failing to renew the subsidy on the number 17 bus from Cutteslowe, we have effectively been cut off from direct access to the City of Oxford leaving old and disabled people stranded.

Why not just rebuild the Cutteslowe Wall?

True the county council has provided an alternative bus running between 10.15am and 2.15pm five days a week where we have to ring up to book it, pay 75p per mile, and the pensioners bus pass is not valid tender.

This is nothing more than private hire. What happened to the 22 minibuses bought by the council, perhaps out of the unpaid bus subsidy money?

Cutteslowe is within the City of Oxford, the houses are City of Oxford, all services are supplied by the City of Oxford, council tax is paid to City of Oxford, so why not a bus service from City of Oxford?

Meanwhile I am living like a hermit, praying for the county council that they be guided back on to the path of righteousness.

PS: We may not have a bus, but we still have a vote.

HAROLD J SLAMON

Cutteslowe, Oxford