It's Not About The Politics (Part 1)

So Says Alex Stafford.

One of his currently promised "more action" concerns buses in his constituency; hence his photograph at a Bus Stop.

Young Aex wants to sort out the buses in the Rother Valley and see significant improvements.

I am aware that the Labour Party in Rotherham are currently churning out literature that puts their spin on the woeful public transport system in South Yorkshire. I would expect some level of spin, but what is being circulated is frankly so full of untruths that I feel compelled to set the record straight.

But it's not about the politics!

He goes on to state the blindingly obvious.

1. The Labour South Yorkshire Mayor is responsible for buses in South Yorkshire. 

2. Since 2019, the South Yorkshire Mayor has received or been awarded the following funding for buses and local public transport network improvements:

He then lists some eye-watering sums of money that have been gifted to the various Mega-Mayors to improve Public mobility since 2019. The cash is not just for buses!

He does not explain these monies. Nor does he translate the acronyms.

£570 million CRSTS funding from 2022-27 

£1.4 billion CRTS funding from 2027-2032

£166 million awarded in 2020 : Transforming Cities 

£6.2 million in Bus Service Improvement Plan 2023/2024

£7.82 million Bus Service Improvement Plan

He also refers to the various support payments during Covid, which are irrelevant!

But he loves buses as you can see from his Twitterings..

Ahem, Alex. The Rother Valley hasn't has a proper route 28 for years and years and when it did have a 28 most recently it was only a couple of journeys on Monday to Friday - mainly for schools.

3. Since 2017, the Labour South Yorkshire Mayor has had the power to create a London-style bus franchised system. Both the previous Labour Mayor and the current Labour Mayor who served during this time FAILED to do so.

But it's not about the politics!

That's what he actually writes in this document.

But it's not about the politics! This is about lack of leadership. Labour’s Andy Burnham in Manchester has set up the Bee Network and brought local transport under his direct control. West Yorkshire and Liverpool are set to launch their own public controlled networks. Yet, South Yorkshire Mayor talks a good talk, but lacks action. 

But it's not about the politics!

If the Labour Mayor and the Labour party don’t want to be responsible for South Yorkshire buses, they should resign the position and let another party take over! With power comes accountability and responsibility.

In fact the Mega-Mayot is less than enthusiastic about franchised services and views Andy Burnham's Bee Network with, at best, Polite Suspicion. He infers that it will be a huge burden on South Yorkshire's council tax payers. Which it would be!

So Alex, man of action, is spearheading a CAMPAIGN.

JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN

BETTER BUSES FOR ROTHER VALLEY

We need better bus services for Dinnington, Swallownest, Aughton and Thurcroft, connecting our towns and villages to each other and to Crystal Peaks, Meadowhall and hospitals. We recently successfully campaigned for Swallownest to get a direct link to Crystal Peaks. But this isn't enough - we need far reaching improvements.

To show the Mayor the strength of feeling among local people, we need your support. Go to our website and back our campaign for Better Buses for Rother Valley.

So the Labour people have done nothing and will not get on with a super Council ownership scheme like that in Manchester. It's just what thr Rother Valley needs, something just like London. 

London, by the way, costs the council taxpayers hundreds of millions a year.

But Alex has already had a huge success. He reports this proudly above and in other outpourings of Anti-labour passion.

But it's not about the politics 

It may surprise you that Alex's demand for public ownership and thus higher taxes comes from an MP who belongs to the party of low taxes and private ownership.

Alex is a dyed-in-the-wool Tory!

Looking at the map of his constituency, you might be forgiven for expecting it to be in the hands of Labour.

It certainly includes a load of former mining communities; Maltby, Killamarsh, Dinington plus Beighton. Wales and Kiveton Park. But all the pits have gone and "new money" has moved in with new estates replete with car owners a-plenty.

Most houses have at least one, usually two parking places on what was once a well-tended from garden. Even the cul-de-sacs of Mosborough "new town" have accumulated more cars than the planners ever intended.

Even though off-road parking areas are often provided by the planners ...

... gardens are still paved to save a 20 yard walk!

Not an ideal area for bus business; especially to the posher but smaller ex villages out "in the sticks".

So, in tomorrow's blog we will explore the huge bus improvement success claimed by MP Alex Stafford.

Bet you can't wait!

Maybe there will be a longer wait for Alex's explanation of where the money for these improvements might come from. He does suggest in his PR piece that all the funding has gone to buses in Sheffield.

It hasn't!

A Sombre Memory

The Gresford disaster occurred on 22 September 1934 at Gresford Colliery, near Wrexham, when an explosion and underground fire killed 266 men. Gresford is one of Britain's worst coal mining disasters: a controversial inquiry into the disaster did not conclusively identify a cause, though evidence suggested that failures in safety procedures and poor mine management were contributory factors. Further public controversy was caused by the decision to seal the colliery's damaged sections permanently, meaning that only eleven of those who died were recovered.

Some of fbb's distant relatives were involved in the rescue attempts and at least one distant cousin many times removed lost his life. His body was never recovered.

fbb's Grandmother's sister Win and her husband Tom often shed a tear as they told the tale to a young fbb. The memory was so vivid and horrid twenty years after the disaster.

Even 90 years afterwards, there is still a need to remember and care for the memories of the dead and traumatised.

Enter Railway Modelling company Dapol.

Versions are available to order for OO scale ...

... at "cheap as chops " prices. 

O scale versions are a bit more pricey but they are nearly four times bigger by volume.

They are available from Rails of Sheffield. Delivery is expected later in 2024, the anniversary year.

Waiting for News, 1934

 Next Not About Politics blog : Friday 12th Jan