‘Routes inconsistent’
THE ROAD closure at Woodfield Academy on Studley Road is causing diversions to the bus services along the Studley Road – specifically the 57, 58, 64, 149, 150 and 247 routes.
However, there have also been inconsistencies to these diversions.
On Monday, the 247 continued its usual through Lakeside, but on Tuesday it instead diverted down Mount Pleasant to the hospital and completely missed out the Studley Road.
Without any signage on bus stops, especially on stops which are temporarily unserved (signs have been put on before), it leaves people stranded at bus stops. This is not good enough for the town.
Jack Fardoe
Lakeside
‘Abhorrent decision’
SCHOOL holidays are a great opportunity to spend more quality time with your children, but for some families, it can be a struggle to cope financially feeding hungry children without the lifeline of free school meals (FSM).
Traditionally, eligible families have received vouchers to buy food for their children during the school holidays.
I found out by chance talking to some parents that the FSM voucher value has been halved by Worcestershire County Council for the rest of this academic year.
This means that parents will receive one £15 voucher per child to cover the whole of the Easter school holidays.
This equates to just over £1 per day per child.
Very little notice was given about this decision. Some parents found out when they received their vouchers.
How can parents be expected to feed their children a healthy and nutritious diet on £1 a day? Who made this decision?
Were parents consulted?
If, like me, you find this decision abhorrent, please email your county councillor and let’s see if we can get WCC to rethink this short-sighted decision.
Coun Jane Spilsbury
Redditch Borough Council
‘Keeping promises’
WHAT another great week for Labour and the ‘change’ they promised Britain.
First, we saw £200m invested to recruit 3,000 neighbourhood police and PCSOs in the next year which will put 13,000 bobbies back on the beat.
Second, £38million was provided to roll out 319 new zero emission buses across England.
Third, we had the announcement that a new world class Universal theme park is coming to Bedford. Thus boosting our economy by an estimated £50billion and creating 28,000 jobs.
Fourth, Labour backed the British car industry in the face of global economic headwinds. This was on top of the £2.3billion to boost car manufacturing recently.
Fifth, it was confirmed that 1,503 GPs have been recruited since October 1.
Sixth, we saw Labour publicly back the South Yorkshire Mayor’s plan to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
Seventh, we had the announcement that more than 100,000 extra patients have been treated on time, 80,000 more people have had cancer diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days and that NHS waiting lists have fallen for six months in a row.
And eighth, not only did our Labour Government host the second meeting of the Steel Council with a commitment to British steelmaking including energy cost relief for businesses expected to be worth over £300m in 2025 but we also saw the government pass emergency legislation to give the Business Secretary the power and control necessary to do everything possible to protect the steel industry and steel jobs.
Promises made by Labour and yet again promises kept.
Geoffrey Brooking
‘Start cutting’
I RARELY agree with anything that Nigel Farage says but maybe he has a point about establishing a UK version of DOGE to cut down on waste.
The first task could then be investigating whether the taxpayer is getting value for money from some MPs who are getting about £90K-per-year and approximately £200K in expenses for representing their Constituents.
I would suggest starting with the ‘millionaire’ member for Clacton who I understand is rarely seen in the town.
I know he is also a party leader, but how hard can it be to manage five MPs and a ‘one policy party’?
I Welch
Redditch
‘Please take part’
WE ARE inviting groups and organisations across England to celebrate their communities this Mental Health Awareness Week – May 12 to 18.
During the week, we are recognising the power of community to support good mental health.
We can find community in different places and can belong to more than one.
Community is an important protective factor for our mental health.
It not only helps tackle social isolation, but it gives us a sense of belonging, safety, purpose and support.
During Mental Health Awareness Week, we are encouraging groups and organisations to host events and activities to showcase the great work they do – bringing people together and supporting wellbeing.
Everyone is also invited to take part in our fun Wear It Green Day activities.
Visit: mentalhealth.org.uk/mhaw for more information and resources to get involved in Mental Health Awareness Week.
Alexa Knight
Director of England
We welcome your letters….
We welcome your letters for the Redditch Standard on any subject.
Email them to [email protected]
EDITORS COMMENT
THE WORCESTERSHIRE County Council elections are now just a week away.
From a local government point of view, this is probably the most important poll held in generations.
It will be the members of the new-look council who will be tasked with determining the best way forward for their area and how democracy is undertaken in the future.
We urge everyone eligible to vote to read up on what each party or indpendent stands for and cast their ballot at their local polling station on May 1.
