The new Thatcherite leadership at County Hall has clearly not read the alleged support their national party leader has for environmental matters such as getting people to use public transport rather than cars. In one irrational proposal the County Hall To

The new Thatcherite leadership at County Hall has clearly not read the alleged support their national party leader has for environmental matters such as getting people to use public transport rather than cars.

In one irrational proposal the County Hall Tories are proposing to force hundreds of schoolchildren to give up bus transport to their nearest faith school and rely on their parents, where able, to drive them to school by car.

At the very time we should be considering free school bus travel for all children living further than two miles from their school in order to reduce both traffic congestion and CO2 emissions.

The County Council proposes to remove the current right of children (provided it is more than two miles for children up to eight years old and more than three miles for children above eight years of age) to free bus travel to their nearest chosen faith school. Thus in one stroke causing increased traffic congestion and parking problems in many areas including in the case of Stevenage the Hitchin Road and the adjacent A1(M) junction.

The County Council should be using its resources and expertise to encourage the use of bus transport to schools not undermining it by this ill-conceived attack on a valued minority.

JOHN GARDNER, Deputy Leader, Stevenage Borough Council