This week local MP Maggie Throup held a debate in Parliament to highlight the value of Community Transport and called on Derbyshire County Council to give a “stay of execution” to Community Transport organistions across the county, including in Erewash, who face losing their funding from next year.
Speaking after her Westminster Hall debate Maggie said:
“I felt that it was important to bring the issue of community transport provision in Derbyshire to the attention of Transport Ministers and to use the debate to demonstrate more widely just how important community transport is to constituents in every part of the United Kingdom.
“It is clear to me that Derbyshire County Council waste vast amounts of money, whilst pleading poverty and passing the buck to Central Government for political purposes.
“What residents in Erewash actually want to see is a County Council who take responsibility for its finances and supports vital community service. That is why I am calling on them to continue to fund Erewash Community Transport whilst I work with the organisation to secure alternative funding streams, such as the Government’s new Total Transport scheme, to ensure local residents do not lose out.”