At Harrogate Town Council’s recent full meeting, it was agreed that the Mayor of Harrogate would write to the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire to call for the time restrictions on disabled bus passes to be lifted in our area.
Lib Dem Councillor Josie Caven, who moved the motion, made it clear that the current restrictions preventing the pass’ use before 9am restrict what sort of jobs and other opportunities people with disabilities can access.
Cllr. Caven said:
I know first-hand the damage that this restriction can cause. At just 18 years of age, when I went to my first job interview, I was dismayed to discover that my pass was not valid until 9 a.m. That moment shaped the reality of my career; it dictated the jobs I could take, the hours I could work, and it caused panic when receiving early medical appointments. Our campaign, cutting across all levels of government, is to bring an end to this situation.
Tom Gordon, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has been campaigning for an end to the bus pass restrictions since the issue was first raised with him at a community event. He has recently moved an amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to end the restrictions on a national level.
Cllr. Andrew Timothy, who seconded the motion, said:
I am very supportive of this call, here in Harrogate, to end the bus pass restrictions. The responsibility is now with the regional Mayor in York to take the action for people up and down the county to end the restrictive time limits.
I am thrilled to be able to work with Cllr. Caven and our excellent MP in his national campaign to end this postcode lottery. The situation is only made more ridiculous by Labour Ministers passing the issue to local politicians, and the Conservative-run North Yorkshire Council saying it’s a national issue.
Only with a two-pronged assault in local and national government can we finally bring this farce to an end.
