Reader's letter: Andy Burnham's bus visit and a look back to 1970 Penkridge

Irony of Andy’s bus visit points to service gaps

There was something rather ironic about Andy Burnham's visit to Wolverhampton Bus Interchange.

He was extolling the virtues of Wolverhampton's plan to take bus services under the control of the West Midlands Combined Authority to 'save bus services' and ensure they are run for the benefit of the passenger instead of the bus operator.

He was standing right by the spot from where the Bridgnorth bus leaves – the number nine.

If he had glanced at the timetable he would have noticed a large mismatch between the kind of frequency and operating hours that prevail in Wolverhampton (and no doubt, Manchester), compared to the one that is serving the town of Bridgnorth.

Andy was visiting the West Midlands on his summer tour which is commendable.

But what about the wider West Midlands region – Shropshire and Staffordshire?

Whatever failings Wolverhampton's bus services might have, they are insignificant compared to those of Shropshire, where they struggle to survive.

The timetable would have immediately alerted him to the impossibility of job hunters in SE Shropshire, accessing employment, training and apprenticeships in the WM conurbation and vice versa, because timetables do not reflect the modern working day.

Moreover, South Shropshire is accommodating thousands of houses on behalf of the WM Conurbation, without any assurances that transport infrastructure money will accompany this.

The Interchange at Wolverhampton, offers good connections for rail, bus and Metro.

But outside the county boundary, connections to it are inadequate.

Andy's policy of connecting Manchester has engendered economic success, but then he's had the funding to do it.

If he is serious about 'growth in every postcode', he needs to recognise there is life outside the Metro regions.

The Wider WM requires the kind of funding that would make his fare incentives useful to people in Shropshire.

They should also facilitate the Government's aspiration of getting people into work, training, apprenticeships or further education.

This will require an understanding of the contribution that places outside city regions can make to the British economy, given realistic investment in transport infrastructure.

We've heard the promises, Andy, now let's see some action.

Mike Crump, Bridgnorth

• You can enjoy other pictures from the past and more with our weekly FREE Nostalgia Newsletter - with scores of archive pictures and exclusive features on the history of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire and the Black Country - all sent to your inbox every week. Sign up here.

Have an opinion? We want to hear from you.

Share your views by writing to Readers’ Letters at [email protected].

Letters to the editor must include the writer’s name and address. Letters will only be published anonymously in exceptional circumstances. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity or style.

Do you have a picture from the past to share?

We would love to hear from you. Whether you have an old photograph, need help identifying a street or recognise a familiar face, send your images to [email protected].

Please include your name, where you are from and as much information as possible about the photograph. We will publish as many as we can online and in print.