Referendum on the buses

SIMON Posner, chief executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, claims that the total of 1,245 UK bus companies “demonstrates to us how competitive and vibrant the market is” (Yorkshire Post, May 7).

The market may be; the services (where they still exist) are all too often not.

His further assertion that “our fares are reasonable” needs clarification. Compared with UK rail fares, certainly – but with those of mainland Europe?

When Nick Clegg has finished licking his wounds, he might do worse than coercing his coalition mates into a further referendum on returning the buses to some form of local authority control.

I promise him that the result would be very different from the predictably doomed AV one, if only because it has a direct daily relevance to the real lives of real people.

Shameful insult

From: DM Loxley, Hartoft, Pickering.

I HAVE just read what can only be described as the most offensive and appalling insult to our Armed Services.

The National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, Staffordshire, has prohibited veterans from holding a short service at a memorial funded by the National Service Veterans’ Association because it would “block the route of a land-train that takes visitors on tours”.

Those who run that arboretum should hang their heads in shame; rend their clothing; don sack-cloth and ashes and then crawl back under their flat stones.

I am absolutely disgusted.

Held to account

From: John N C Hodgson, Nidd Rise, Birstwith, Harrogate.

NO sooner does Lloyds Bank capitulate over the sales of payment protection insurance than I receive a leaflet from them entitled “Changes to your banking relationship with us”.

If only all those other institutions with whom we find ourselves at odds could act that quickly!