A CONTROVERSIAL plan to close a council transport service for OAPs and people with learning disabilities will go to a full watchdog probe, it was confirmed today.

Backbench councillors used their ‘call in’ power to investigate a decision by a transport boss to close the Swan Rider service.

Buckinghamshire County Council said it was not breaking even and the service should be provided by the private sector.

But Councillor Michael Brand, who led the bid for a probe, said not enough detail had been provided and staff had not been consulted.

Pensioners and staff who attended the meeting afterwards welcomed the decision.

Cllr Brand said a public report on which the decision was made ‘no assessment of the impact on vulnerable clients’ or explained how the service got into £801,000 of debt.

There was no explanation why the service was set up under a trading account, meaning it had to break even, he said. Similar BCC transport services are in debt, he said.

And the Liberal Democrat said there was ‘no information’ about how the new service would be run, only an explanation of its financial problems.

Some users fear taxis instead of buses will be used, making them harder to get into. Cllr Brand said they were ‘likely to be highly disturbed by the change’.

He said: “There was significant disquiet amongst users as there has been no consultation amongst them or the drivers.”

Cllr Brand said: “Why were virtually all the reports I mentioned private? Why were they not published?”

But BCC head of transportation Jim Stevens defended the decision not to consult its 79 staff and more than 1,000 users.

He said: “We came to the view that that was not necessary because we were not changing the service or the quality of the service.”

The service had run into difficulty as income from other bodies was less than expected, he said.

But Mr Stevens said: “It is absolutely fundamental that the service quality doesn’t change.”

Bucks Free Press: swan rider

Margaret Parsons, who cares for mother Caroline Parsons, 90.

Yet the overview and scrutiny commissioning committee backed the call for its members to investigate.

Councillor Niknam Hussain said: “We all know clever accountants. How break even happens can go up and down.”

He said: “I don’t believe this has been adequately scrutinised and this is a good opportunity to show this committee’s teeth.”

Cllr Avril Davies questioned the effect of separate plans to reduce BCC day centres from 22 to two or three. She said: “Where does this leave Swan Rider?”

Committee chairman Cllr Trevor Egleton admitted an ‘error of judgement’ by stopping a January probe by members into early plans to close Swan Rider.

He said: “I think we should have finished our review.” Cllr Egleton said he was wrong to get that probe to ‘fit in with the other timetable within the council department’.

Pensioners, staff and their carers welcomed the news.

Margaret Parsons, who cares for mother Caroline Parsons, 90, said: “I am concerned they wouldn’t get the support they do now. I’m not convinced by the arguments.”

Gillian O’Toole, 40, said the service cares for her daughter, who has learning disabilities.

She said: “If there are specifications they are going to be using then what are those? Swan Rider is outstanding – they go over and above their jobs.”

Leonard Johnson, 84, said: “They should keep it going and they should talk more to the drivers and the people who are using it.”

Driver Zekiye Mustafa said: “We are not drivers, we are carers as well.”

Fellow employee Christopher Butterfield said: “The concern the majority of people have is that the vehicles would be private hire and a lot smaller.

“They would be more difficult or impossible for older people to get into.”

But Andrew Clarke, group manager for transport, said bosses would demand any contractor provide the right size vehicles.

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