Liberal Democrats hand petition to West Berkshire Council calling for ReadiBus review

The Liberal Democrats on West Berkshire Council have submitted a petition signed by over 1,200 West Berkshire residents calling on council bosses to review the decisions that caused the ReadiBus service to lose its funding in 2021.

It calls on the administration to make sure that the service remains available for those who need it, when they need it, for the long term.

“Back in 2021 the decision made by Conservative bosses of West Berkshire Council to try and force a gagging clause on ReadiBus left many vulnerable and disabled West Berkshire residents facing the loss of a service that means so much to them," said Lee Dillon (Lib Dem, Thatcham), leader of the group.

"Now we need West Berkshire Council to use the resources it has to bring back the ReadiBus full-time."

The council has a budget of £55,280 for grants to community transport operators.

ReadiBus received £5,000 of this budget in the 22/23 financial year.

But the Lib Dems say although WBC technically only reduced as opposed to fully cut the grant they gave to the ReadiBus, the nature of this reduction was the difference between ReadiBus being able to operate and not.

"So in affect, had Newbury and Thatcham Town Councils not provided funds, the ReadiBus would have disappeared due to the grant reduction," said a spokesman.

ReadiBus provides elderly and disabled people with transport across the county, including in Reading and Woodley, but says it has been forced to greatly reduce its bus services in West Berkshire due to a lack of funding from the council.

The charity stopped providing a five-day-a-week dial-a-ride bus service in Newbury and other parts of West Berkshire on April 16, after six months without WBC funding and being asked to sign a “gagging clause”.

The clause in the proposed grant agreement – that ReadiBus refused to sign – reads: "The charity shall not, and shall take reasonable steps to ensure that staff shall not, make any press announcement or publicise the agreement or any part of the agreement in any way, except with the prior written consent of the council, which will not be unreasonably withheld."

Professor Sophie Bowlby, who chairs the ReadiBus board, said at the time that it meant the charity must obtain the prior written consent of the council before making any press announcement, which “enshrines the right of censorship by the council” in law and is a “non-reciprocal gagging order”.

Professor Bowlby said it cost more than £50,000 a year to provide ReadiBus services in West Berkshire.

The council was also found at fault over the issue by the Local Government Ombudsman last year.

The ombudsman found that West Berkshire Council was at fault for failing to carry out a public consultation about its 68 per cent reduction in grant funding to ReadiBus.

The district council apologised to ReadiBus, but the charity accused it of "corporate defensiveness".

"All actions requested by the ombudsman to remedy the injustice caused were carried out within weeks of the report being published," said the council.