Right to worry

So It was finally given the axe as of June, so the old, vulnerable and disabled people count for nothing when it comes to the decision made by Wiltshire Council and the CCG. This is a council with the motto 'Everybody matters'. Let me just say I am so happy that they all can still get their expenses paid for travelling to and from a job that they decided to do not to a place that they are made to go to, it is their decision.Affected are: So who is affected:l The old, vulnerable, disabled and the people who live in remote areas with no public transport. They are now out in the cold; l It affects The Staff that use the service to save on parking spaces within the hospital and staff with that had no transport. They are now out in the cold; l All the wonderful drivers who have given a great service to ensure the patients and staff arrived safely and on time. They are now out in the cold and jobless; l The old, vulnerable, disabled and the people who live in remote areas with no public transport. They are now out in the cold; l The firm company that runs the service. They are out in the cold and have had to say farewell to staff that they valued so much.

So Let me just remind readers of one thing from Jane Scott when all this started, and I quote from Jane Scott said in the Wiltshire Times of May 22, 2015: "Leader of Wiltshire Council Jane Scott has told users of the RUH Hopper bus that they ‘shouldn’t have worried in the first place’, after a petition to stop the service being axed was presented to the council.

"'We were never going to cut the service without finding some sort of alternative, that was always what Wiltshire Council said,' said Cllr Scott.

“'We have been working closely with the CCG and the RUH to find a solution. We are very close to that solution and we have had important meetings in the last week to find which budgets we can get to help support this service.

“'I don’t want anybody to worry about it; they shouldn’t have worried in the first place. I think there was too much worry and there is no need to worry as we will find a solution'.”

She also said that the council was discussing other matters with the RUH, including making appointments more flexible and looking at the quality of similar services across the county.

Cllr Scott added: “I thank you for actually starting this conversation, as if people like you don’t come and chase the public services then we probably wouldn’t have done so much work as we are going to do.”

Now Jane Scott has said Again in the Wiltshire Times, this time of February 12, 2016: "Baroness Jane Scott, leader of Wiltshire Council, added: 'This is not an easy decision, no decisions we make regarding the budget are easy decisions but we have to look at the best option across the county ... I think it’s sad but we’ve had a long discussion in Cabinet'.”

So it leaves me to ask one thing of Jane Scott and the Cabinet,where is the alternative that was offered on May 22, 2015, and why were we all told not to worry?

Of course we were right to worry as the result has come in that we all knew would be the end decision and that is the service has been axed.

So it is a very sad farewell to a service designed to help and has done a wonderful job so many years.

I personally would like to say I am sorry we couldn’t have saved the service and it saddens me that people are left stranded.

Debi Gunn, Trowbridge