RING and Ride services in Tavistock and Okehampton are facing cutbacks, following a budget-slashing exercise by West Devon Borough Council. The borough currently supports the two town schemes, run by Tavistock and District Local Transport Partnership and Okehampton District Community Transport Group, to the tune of £22,830. But an agreement reached last week to cut funding by 10% has been met with grave concern by the groups running the services. Peta Humphries, trustee of the Tavistock Ring and Ride organisation, said: ?I suppose they would consider this a small amount of money, but the way we are run, we will actually have to cut something to cover it ? we just don?t have anything to spare. ?The bulk of our money goes on the buses, we have two paid drivers, a part-time co-ordinator and a voluntary management committee. ?The drivers do school contract work, which helps fund Ring and Ride, so you can?t cut that; we can?t do without the co-ordinator ? you are basically looking at maybe withdrawing a day?s service.? Ms Humphries said TDLTP would be contacting the parish councils to see if they could plug the budget gap ? but hard choices would have to be made if no extra money was forthcoming. Judy Pride, chairman of Okehampton and District Community Transport Group, said thanks to ?wonderful? support from the parishes, Ring and Ride in Okehampton would be able to cope with this year?s funding cut. She said: ?But if we are faced with a funding cut next year, we may be forced to cut back on services. ?For our users, Ring and Ride is more than just a transport service. We are talking about elderly people stuck out in rural villages, who may lose the opportunity to stay in their own homes ? the hidden cost of this is huge, although that?s not an issue West Devon needs to face, because they won?t be picking up that cost.? The borough council is facing a huge gap in its finances due to increased service provision and a drop in money it receives from central government. Borough regeneration officer John Lewis last week told the council?s economic, leisure and community development committee the aim of Ring and Ride was to overcome social exclusion and isolation, particularly for people living in the more remote areas of the borough. Both services also operated school transport contracts in each area, which helped subsidise the Ring and Ride facility. He said: ?One of the messages that came out very strongly is the fact they are often dealing with people with severe mobility problems, who are not effectively served by other forms of transport.? Cllr Dawn Rogers said her area of Lewdown relied on both the Tavistock and Okehampton Ring and Ride services, and that the bus was ?often full, if not overflowing?. She said: ?It is very well used by people who are not able to drive or get access to public transport ? it?s a necessity for people to have in rural areas who have no other option to be able to get out and do things.? Cllr Rogers asked that the 10% reduction in funding be rejected. Cllr Jane Waterhouse said requests for funding from parishes and other bodies needed to be considered as early as possible in the financial year, not towards the end of the year. The committee agreed the whole question of funding for services like Ring and Ride should be brought up at the regular link meetings between the borough and parishes. Members agreed the cut of £2,283 to the Ring and Ride subsidy for the year 2005/6.
