Halesworth Hoppa Postcards

A set of postcards with a common back had been produced for HACT by Mustard Creative. These will be distributed by volunteers whenever there is the opportunity, such as from the bus and at community events and by volunteers doing letter drops in their neigbourhood. It is hoped they will be retained by potential passengers and volunteers as a reminder on fridges and pinboards and picked up by the casual browser from information carousels.

Mike Penning reply to D1 issue

After much toing and froing I have had a response from a minister to my letters on the D1 issue asking for something to be done to ensure community transport operators can continue to recruit volunteer drivers for the size of vehicles that can be sustainably put into rural service without the cost burden of over £1000 per volunteer for the PSV license. I suggested that the weight limit be raised for vehicles to allow volunteer drivers licensed after 1997 to drive and this concession would be solely for non-profit transport operators and volunteer drivers.

His reply basically says: "them's the rules" and it would be unfair to give the PSV license free for volunteer drivers as commercial bus operators would claim they are discriminated against.

I fear he has not grasped the precarious state of rural community transport, he certainly hasn't acknowledged or disputed my thesis that there is a time-bomb of a shortage of volunteer drivers nor has he offered any other solutions to those I suggested.

My MP Therese Coffey has indicated she thinks support for the cost of the PSV license might be the way forward and I shall pursue this but, as I explained in my briefing, to the various minister and the CTA, this has its downsides as well.