Funding Dial-A-Ride

Sir – Oxford’s Labour administration’s accounts show an underspend of £500,000 in the year 2011/12, after carrying forward some £643,000 for projects not completed as expected in that year.
The papers to the executive board on July 4 proposed that this should go into a capital reserve, together with another approximately £500,000 received as New Homes Bonus, a new Government grant, which was not expected or budgeted for.
Labour’s proposal to squirrel away all of this unexpected surplus into an earmarked reserve, a capital funding pot, rather than keep it readily available for revenue as well as capital spending according to need, was challenged at scrutiny but not altered.
I asked if £58,000 of that unexpected surplus could be spent on a year’s funding of a second Dial-a-Ride bus, much needed to help transport elderly and disabled residents, who would otherwise be stuck at home, to activities, shopping and appointments.
Sadly, the city’s Labour administration showed yet again how little it cares about the elderly and disabled people for whom it is responsible. Councillor Turner claimed that the county should pay — though the same county council is providing one bus free already and does not have any budget itself for such transport.
Labour said that the concessionary fares grant should be used — but this grant is £4m against an expenditure of about £8m – not much spare change there! Mr Turner admitted the representations from pensioners meant that the matter might be reconsidered next year — why not now?