THERE is no doubt in my mind that the Lydney bus station building is way beyond viable economic repair, should be demolished and for the short term the site cleaned up accordingly.

However, if Gloucestershire County Council do go ahead with letting the building to Lydney Dial A Ride and their offshoot, The Forest Community Transport Company, a number of points need to be addressed.

Vitally, can money be justified being spent on the building? (A commonsense 'no' should end the saga there and then).

If it proceeds will improved conditions for bus users be met, such as a reasonably sized indoor waiting room and access to toilet facilities?

Will there be disruption or restriction to the 'normal' commercial service bus delivery, will a proper market place rental be paid by Lydney Dial A Ride rather than a token peppercorn gesture, and will it be free of a charity-shop presence?

Quite simply, Gloucestershire County Council must ensure that there is a significant advantage to the bus-user and no disadvantages to bona-fide commercial operators before risking public money on an organisation that could conceivably perpetually be holding out a begging bowl.

The original concept of Lydney Dial A Ride was presumably to provide transport to elderly and disabled people who found it difficult to use public transport. Since then legislation has moved on with "disabled access friendly" super low buses being brought on stream; indeed these type of vehicles will be mandatory from 2015.

Lydney Dial A?Ride is currently operating on special Department of Transport Section 19 permits. Will these permits be made compliant by 2015, or will Lydney Dial A?Ride be able to by-pass this regulation and continue using their "trannies" protected by the section 19 permit, that gives them a distinct advantage over commercial operators already on such basics as driver hours and bus MOTs, besides in this compliant age, being contradictorily restrictive in easing passage for elderly and disabled people?

If a 300k lottery grant does become available for improvements to community transport surely the deliverance of a better service to communities such as Primrose Hill, Yorkley, Pillowell and Viney Hill needs to take precedence?

Whatever happens, I would urge our local county councillors to call this issue in for scrutiny and proper in-depth valuation.

A 300k lottery grant must not be squandered on useless projects akin to the ill-fated "blue wiggly buses" costing 750k that Prescott threw at Gloucestershire County Council a few years back.

Councillors need to ensure that public servants are controlled and not allow this issue to become the West Dean version of the recent West Coast Rail fiasco!

– Alan Preest (UKIP).