The End for Student Riders?

On Wednesday evening, my colleague Councillors and I will be seeking further non-innovative ways of guillotining cuts to the Council's budget.

The most controversial of which is cutting Student Riders.

It seems really unfair to me that there are several residents over 60, with lucrative pensions, and able to top up these pensions with extra employment (like IW Councillors!!) and still can travel for free after 9:30am on the bus, (if they choose)! Whilst our youngsters, who are 14 years and over are expected to pay full fares on Island Buses. Hardly seems very fair, does it?

When the new Coalition government came into power in June, we were promised that our new Government would be a 'fair government'; our 'budget would be a fair budget' and that 'the National Deficit reduction must be shared'. Clearly, along the same lines our Council considers it right and proper to make future generations pay for the mistakes of previous Governments.

The withdrawal of Student Rider, will mean 14 to 18 year old youngsters more dependent from hand-outs from their parents. It will mean students from lower income families not having the same choices or freedom as those from higher income families, and will ultimately mean more 14 to 18 year olds being couped up at home, when they should be having fun and/or having the chance of earning money.

The Student Rider, when introduced was a fantastic initiative when introduced at 50p per journey, as it meant children had the opportuntity to use buses go out with their friends..; and -Get this: choose a High School they wanted to attend, rather than just attend the school down the road, or en-route to mum and dads place of work. It meant as soon as youngsters were 17 they didn't have to learn to drive and the council was actually doing something positive to reduce the reliance on needing a car.

Clearly the Council will need to make a decision about this on Wednesday and whilst there remains opportunitites to 'means test' Councillors Allowances, cut Consultants, Directors Pay or to cut street lighting. The Council looks towards hitting those hardest, who can least afford it! (Let's hope the Government doesn't do the same!).

For these reasons, I cannot and would not accept any cuts to the existing Student Rider Scheme.