Concessionary travel proposal moves forward
Detailed research into concessionary travel for young people in the county has been commissioned by Warwickshire County Council.
The council’s cabinet agreed to fund a feasibility study as a precursor to developing a business case for the scheme.
A council review panel, chaired by Cllr John Whitehouse, was set up to examine the scheme and undertake initial research into the issues following lobbying from Warwickshire Members of the Youth Parliament (MYPs), who are backed by the national Youth Parliament’s Fares Fair campaign.
Cllr Whitehouse presented the report to cabinet which approved the allocation of £20,000 funding for a consultant’s study into the feasibility of the introduction of a concessionary travel scheme for young people and to consider the impact the introduction of an over-riding strategy for 16 to 19-year-olds has on the authority.
Warwickshire Deputy MYP Ben Wesson, who has championed subsidised travel for young people since he was first elected in 2008, welcomed the move.
Ben, who is from Warwick and attends North Leamington School, said: “The cost of public transport has long been a priority of the UK Youth Parliament - being a major campaign from its beginning nine years ago - and it is through the persistent lobbying of Warwickshire’s Members of Youth Parliament and VOX, Warwickshire’s youth council, that I believe we have got this far.
“Young people throughout the country complain that the cost of public transport is too expensive and that in areas such as London there is subsidised travel, whereas in their area there is no subsidy anywhere near of the same scale assigned by local government.”
Nuneaton-based Warwickshire MYP Victoria Fowler, who attends King Edward VI College and is the new West Midlands Youth Parliament regional chair, added: “This is a new development and the amount of support ‘Fares Fair’ has built up over the years’ highlights the importance of cheaper bus travel to young people.
“There are also other benefits this campaign will encourage such as making environmentally friendly travel a way of life. This is a perfect example of what young people can achieve and hopefully the outcome of the feasibility study will be the news we are all waiting to hear.”