Prostestors accuse Nottinghamshire Council of failing to engage with Save Free Tram campaign

The group lobbied the council’s cabinet meeting on February 8 to again demand the council drop its proposals announced last November, to scrap free tram travel for those with a concessionary travel pass.

They had a petition with more than 1,000 signatures opposing the cuts to hand in and had hoped either or both of Coun Ben Bradley MP (Con), the council leader, or Coun Neil Clarke (Con), cabinet member for transport, would receive it.

But neither came down to meet protestors and, Des Conway, the group’s leader, was further frustrated by Coun Clarke’s apparent lack of knowledge of their campaign.

He said: “I did manage to have a brief chat with Coun Clarke and it was blatantly obvious that he hadn’t read the press release and accompanying emails I’d sent to him prior to the meeting, as he said he received loads of emails and couldn’t remember our particular one.

"I then asked if he would come down to our lobby to receive our petition, as requested, and he said ‘what petition?’

"At this point I almost despaired, but I think this shows he hasn’t engaged with the campaign at all, and for someone who is meant to be cabinet member for transport, he didn’t convey the impression he was on top of his brief.

"I then asked him whether the number crunching and analysis related to the tram survey was completed yet, to which he again wasn’t sure, but indicated it was probably still work in progress.”

The protetst was attended by campaigners, trade unionists, mobility and senior citizen pass holders and opposition Labour councillors, including Coun Kate Foale, Labour leader at County Hall, who received the petition from the group.

The group says it will ask her to present them inside the council chamber itself at the full council budget meeting on February 22, which the group will again lobby.

The protest was also joined by Claire Ward, the Labour Party candidate for the role of East Midlands Mayor, whose office will eventually be in charge of public transport and have the funds and authority to control buses and trams across the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), when it becomes the new Travel Concession Authority (TCA) across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

The group is hoping the county council follow the lead of neighbouring Nottingham City Council, which has recommended keeping free tram travel as part of the Nottingham Concessionary Travel Scheme when it’s executive board meets this week.

The campaign was started after the council announced last year it was looking considering ending free travel for concessionary pass holders which is says costs £900,000 per year.

Currently, people over the age of 65 or who have disabilities get free tram travel between 9.30am and 11pm on weekdays and all day on weekends and bank holidays.

The council began a public consultation with options being considered including half-fare payments, free travel for only disabled concessionary pass holders and their companions, and no changes.

Coun Clarke said: “A gentleman called out to me, referring to a petition, literally as I made my way up the stairs to the Council Chamber, but at that stage I didn’t know what petition he was referring to.”

“Once I had established to which petition and campaign he was referring, I stated that the issue of the future funding of concessionary tram travel in Nottinghamshire is highly likely to become a decision for the new Mayor for the East Midlands when that position is elected later this year.

“The East Midlands Combined County Authority will have a £1.5bn transport fund at its disposal.”

“In the meantime, our consultation on concessionary tram travel closed on January 7 and we are currently analysing the responses.

"We thank everyone who took time to have their say, and residents are, of course, entitled to present any petition they wish on matters within the council’s control, using our normal procedures.”