Readers' Letters: To franchise or not to franchise buses?

Readers’ Letters is a free weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

The following comments were left under an article about questions over Mayor David Skaith’s plan to launch a bus franchising model for North Yorkshire.

I can’t help but think the franchise model has one huge failing - the assumption that any bus company will want to run services. If they don’t (because there’s not enough in it for them) then there’ll be no buses.

David Owen

How are these staggering sums of money purely for assessments justified? Of course local bus services have to be subsidised in some way, but this council and or the mayor seem to have little care about the sums involved. The story of a cavalier attitude to public money generally.

Paul Reynolds

Pannal to be lit up for Christmas

The following letter was sent to us in response to our article about reduced decorative lights in Harrogate this winter.

Pannal Green will be lit up and it is spectacular. It was my idea many years ago when I was on the committee of the now defunct Pannal Village Society.

We planted two large fir trees and lights were added blue and white for the boys from Pannal Green who were killed in a car crash. They supported Leeds. Money was given by their customers as they were paper boys and two seats were added on the Green. This was done by myself and their lovely employers.

Anne Smith, Pannal

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

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