THE issue of Dial-A-Ride will return to the council chamber once again tomorrow night as the petition signed by more than 4,000 people comes up for debate in front of the full council.

The 53 per cent reduction in the disability bus service’s funding introduced last month have been at the heart of a political fight in recent months – but it appears that some sort of cross party consensus could be around the corner.

The Adver understands that Labour have agreed on wording with their Conservative colleagues for a joint motion which would acknowledge the petitioners concerns and pledge that there will be no further reductions in future funding.

While this will come as welcome news to campaigners, who had feared that by 2020 the funding for their service would be withdrawn altogether, it will do little to offset the immediate challenges.

Some staff at Dial-a-Ride have already been told their jobs may have to go and others will be asked to reduce hours to make the reduced budget stretch.

Journeys before 9am and after 4.30pm are to become a thing of the past and Saturday services will have to be withdrawn.

Promises that the organisation will be able to bid for other council work has done little to reduce the impact of the cuts to this specific service.

Ahead of the debate at the civic offices this evening, a number of users have spoken out about the irreplaceable role that Dial-A-Ride plays in their everyday lives.

Bridget Coady, 72, who lives in Penhill and has severe mobility issues, said: “Dial-A-Ride means my life completely. I can’t go anywhere unless they can take me and bring me home again.

“I can’t use regular buses or the majority of taxis available in the town, plus the cost of the latter is prohibitive on my small income.

“For example, a black cab to go from home to the British Legion costs over £20 return and this is a relatively short journey.

“If I couldn’t use Dial-A-Ride it would take away my independence and mean that I would be housebound with no social life and no means of travelling to Shopmobility to enable me to do my shopping and banking.”

While getting to the shops and to medical appointments is clearly important, there are a number of Dial-A-Ride users who rely on the service to get them to work.

For them the reductions are of great concern – the cabinet has pledged to introduce a concessions scheme to assist them but they fear the replacement measures will not fill the gap left by the absence of Dial-A-Ride.

Helen Jackson, 61, from Moredon, is one of those who uses the service to reach her workplace.

She said: “I am self-employed and have a small retail shop in Old Town. Dial-A-Ride has been invaluable in enabling me to retain some independence and continue to work.

“Due to mobility issues, I am unable to walk the distance to my nearest bus stop and I find the local buses inadequate for me.

“Most of the taxis available in the town are not suitable for me to use as they are either too small, seats too low down, or in the case of the larger vehicles the seats are too high up.

“I understand that due to the reduction in council money paid to Dial-A-Ride, the service will no longer be available on a Saturday.

“At the moment, I personally am not sure how I will be able to get to work and back.

“The service transports a number of people to and from work to enable them to earn a living, retain some independence and dignity.

“Without this some may now have to give up work.”

Councillors will hear from other Dial-A-Ride users when the debate comes to the floor tomorrow – they will be hoping that promises to put party politics aside in the interest of finding a lasting, viable solution will come to fruition.