Join our petition to keep vital bus services

IN THE printed edition of the Bromsgrove Standard (Friday, November 25), an article was published entitled: ‘Improvements set to pull into Worcestershire in time for 2025’.

In it, the article outlined Worcestershire County Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, which stated that: ‘The improvements are all part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan, which aims to further bus provision in the county’.

Coun Marc Bayliss, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, is quoted in the article as wanting “the traditional bus service to link in with the successful Worcestershire on Demand service and to link into other modes of transport, such as rail, to provide a really comprehensive service.”

The 145 and 145A bus services do exactly that, as both services call at Bromsgrove Railway Station and take passengers from the four WMR Trains which call every hour at the railway station, either into the town centre bus station or onward to destinations in Wychbold and Droitwich.

Furthermore, there is an organisation ‘Visit Worcestershire’ – part of the county council – which aims to encourage people to visit the county.

Both bus services do exactly that, enabling people from Lichfield, Birmingham and Hereford to alight from the trains and catch a 145 or 145A bus to Avoncroft Museum, the start of the

John Corbett Way at Avoncroft Arts Centre, the Aztec Adventures Water Park, Webbs of Wychbold et al, thus boosting the day / short stay tourism economies of Bromsgrove and Wychbold.

Yet we read in last week’s Standard that Diamond Bus wants to axe parts of these services from January 5.

Does the county council and Diamond Bus talk to each other about their plans?

BARRUP urges people, who want to keep the two under-threat bus services as they are, to sign the petition to keep them (the details for which are in the article on page four of last week’s Standard) and to write to their local Bromsgrove and Wychbold District Councillors, and to their local county councillors, to urge them to investigate fully all ways of keeping both these bus services operating as they do currently, and look for ways of attracting more passengers to use them.

Nick Taylor,

Stakeholder Liaison Partner,

BARRUP (The Bromsgrove and Redditch Rail User Partnership)

Baffled by mark-up in price of a pint of milk

THE SYSTEM of council tax banding dates back to 1991 – that’s 33 years ago and it won’t be changed because it brings in loads of cash.

People in E band with only two bedrooms are paying much more than four-bedroom homes on a lower band.

That is unfair as many two-bedroomed homes are retired people just getting through on their savings and because they have savings they are refused any discounts or benefits.

People who have worked all their lives should receive help, but they are ignored.

The system just continues to remove more and more of people’s savings.

We are unfortunately on our own, with MPs and councillors purely pontificating, standing in photo opportunities.

All takes us absolutely nowhere.

Other issues include the cost of food and that’s an issue where our MP could ask more questions.

We are paying more now than we have ever paid for say a pint of milk; the farmers so I am reliably informed get 48p per litre.

For that, the farmer has to buy the cow, feed it and look after it – the retailer like Aldi, Tesco, Morrisons etc then add on their own chunk of an amazing 46p, making the price to us 94p.

Why does a retailer need that much markup/profit I ask?

That is what I want our MP to ask next time he jumps on the train to the House of Commons.

Stop standing in photo opportunities and do what you were elected for.

An MP over five years gets almost £500,000 (excluding expenses).

Stan Francis,

Romsley

Pets don’t make good Christmas presents

PETS are one of the greatest gifts on this planet – but they don’t make good presents. With Christmas rapidly approaching and festive shopping in full swing, the RSPCA wanted to urge people not to buy a pet as a pressie this Christmas.

Pets can be a truly wonderful addition to our lives – they bring us joy, companionship, stability, and so much more. But whether they are small or large, furry or scaly, each is unique with their own thoughts, feelings and welfare needs. Helping pets experience happy and healthy lives requires a lot of responsibility and takes huge commitment.

Taking on an animal is something that needs to be carefully considered by the person who is going to be responsible for their day-to-day care so they can be certain they are equipped with the knowledge and everything they need to help them thrive in the home.

There’s so much to consider, from having the time to dedicate to, and spend with, that pet and their wellbeing, as well as making sure they have the right place to live, the associated costs to give them suitable food, buying them toys and bedding which allows them to behave normally, and veterinary costs such as vaccinations and parasite treatment.

Sadly, at the RSPCA, we see animals every day who have been abandoned or neglected by owners who simply didn’t understand the commitment of caring for them, or best to care for them, before they brought them home. And the cost of living crisis has really added to this problem which we are highlighting in our Join The Christmas Rescue campaign.

Not all surprises are good surprises, and that includes a pet under the Christmas tree. So please don’t buy a furry friend as a gift this festive season.

If your loved one is fully prepared to add a pet to their life, take them along to a rescue centre to meet all of the animals in their care and let them find their perfect match.

Dr Samantha Gaines

RSPCA Pet Welfare Expert

EDITOR’S COMMENT

IT IS great to see work finally starting on the long-awaited £14.5million regeneration of the former Market Hall site in Bromsgrove.

This project should provide a much-needed boost to that end of the town centre and open up the area, providing bars, restaurants and places to sit and socialise during the summer months.

There is some fears about the amount of office space, particularly with so many people working from home or flexibly these days.

Hopefully the council has diligently done its homework to gauge demand.

WE WELCOME YOUR LETTERS

We welcome your letters on any subject, but please try to keep them to 350 words. Email them to [email protected] or [email protected]