Nottinghamshire: Councillors oppose any cuts to free tram travel

Plans to remove free and discounted tram travel for elderly and disabled people in Nottinghamshire have been criticised by borough councillors.

Nottinghamshire County Council is considering a "range of options" for future concessionary tram travel.

But members of Broxtowe Borough Council have now formally opposed any cuts.

Broxtowe's deputy leader Greg Marshall said the savings would be "peanuts" compared to the county's overall budget.

He said: "Concessionary tram travel is incredibly important for the elderly and those with disabilities in the county.

"[Chief medical officer] Chris Whitty wrote how well-funded public transport concessions that get older people more mobile has measurable health benefits.

"We should be doing everything we can to oppose cuts on the tram network.

"There are no meaningful financial benefits. It's £0.9m out of the county's annual £1.3bn budget - relative peanuts. It could be absorbed or underwritten."

Councillor Andrew Kingdom added: "In the week of COP28, talking about reducing the number of people using all-electric, net-zero public transport is an absolute disgrace."Broxtowe Borough Council's chief executive will write to the county council to oppose any cuts.

He will also call on Transport Secretary Mark Harper to provide appropriate funding to public transport infrastructure.

About 50 people gathered outside the county council's County Hall headquarters to oppose the cuts last week, with unions, tram drivers and the National Pensioners Convention all lending their support.

There are currently about 154,000 tram pass holders in Nottinghamshire, who are estimated to make 1.14m journeys a year under the scheme, which costs the council £900,000 a year.

But the council is currently looking at a number of options for the future including scrapping all concessionary tram travel, withdrawing it for everyone except disabled passengers, introducing half fares or making "no change".

Councillor Neil Clarke, cabinet member for transport, previously said: "Due to the current cost of the tram concessionary offer, we want to seek the views of residents and pass holders to make sure that our future offer best suits their needs."

The consultation will run until early 2024 and councillors will then respond to feedback at a meeting.

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].