LAST week I discovered that Dial-a-Ride, one of Swindon’s most cherished organisations and an establishment that provides a quality, personalised service to the most vulnerable people of our town, is set to lose all council funding and will inevitably have to close.

Despite all the talk of council funding to Dial-a-Ride breaching EU law (something disputed by commercial solicitors) and the Conservative administration publicly supporting the basic values of what Dial-a-Ride represents, it is quite clear that the replacing of Swindon’s Dial-a-Ride service with a private-sector transport firm, is a money-making exercise.

However, my question to the Conservative administration is: Why not work with Dial-a-Ride to make the organisation more efficient?

Indeed, what is your problem with Dial-a-Ride?

This is something the Conservative administration needs to explain to the people of Swindon and, in particular, Dial-a-Ride’s vulnerable users. If they do not and try to stay quiet on this, the compassionate people of Swindon will never forgive them.

I lastly want to speak to those people who worked hard to fight for the users of Dial-a-Ride last January. These included Swindon Advertiser readers, compassionate councillors from all groups in the Swindon council and the Swindon Advertiser itself.

This fight will be a hard one, but we have saved Dial-a-Ride once and we need to do it again. We must save Dial-a-Ride!

(Coun) DERIQUE MONTAUT Labour Group Leader Swindon Borough Council