WAVERLEY residents may face the prospect of another massive hike in their council tax to fund the government's promise of free public transport for the over 60s. The warning has been voiced by Waverley borough councillors who fear the government will not cough up enough cash to fund the extra cost. Currently people over the age of 60, and certain people with disabilities, can apply for a bus pass which entitles them to half fare bus travel. The borough council, which works together with other county's councils to implement the scheme, then reimburses the bus companies to make sure they are not out of pocket. Last financial year this cost council tax payers more than £200,000. However, as part of an election promise, the government announced that from April 1, people who qualify for a bus pass will receive free off-peak local bus travel. It said that it will give local council's extra cash but it has not yet confirmed how much each area will get and the borough council fears that the extra funding will fall short of what is needed. A report to the council's executive last week showed 31,545 qualify for concessionary bus travel in the borough but currently only 7,272 have applied for them. This amounts to a take-up of around 24 per cent. The fear is that free bus travel would dramatically increase the number of people applying for the passes - even if only for occasional use. "Where free travel concessions are operated in parts of the country the take up of bus permits is shown to be around 80 per cent of the eligible population," the council's report said. "For Waverley this would mean a possible increase of permits issues from 7,608 to more than 25,000." As a 24 per cent take up costs the council £211,793, the equivalent to £27.84 a permit, it is feared that an 80 per cent take up may cost more than £700,000. A dramatic increase in bus use could push that figure even higher, possibly up to £1 million, however the council is keeping its financial estimates under wraps. The council's executive member for finance, Stewart Edge, said that despite the good intentions, the effect of the free passes could be "horrific" for the council. He said that the council feared it could have to raise the borough's share of the council tax by 10 per cent to find the scheme. However, capping means that it could not increase it by that much, leaving the already cash-strapped council with the option of further cuts to services. Mr Edge said: "That is not to say that we are not in favour of making our very poor public transport more accessible, but we don't want the council tax payer to pick up the bill as a result of an election promise from the chancellor." John Robini said he believed "free public transport for those who need it must be supported", but added it should not be up to Waverley residents to pick up the bill. Chief executive Christine Pointer told the meeting that officers were already working behind the scenes to lobby the government and that council's across the county were working together. She also said that MP Jeremy Hunt had also been briefed on the potential problem. Mr Hunt told The Herald that he is doing all he can to make sure that Waverley residents are not out of pocket. "This is a classic example of a back-door tax rise by the government," he said. "We all support free bus passes for the elderly but general election promises should be paid for centrally and not by the local council tax payer. "I have been working with Waverley to increase the allocations from the government and I will be writing to the Chancellor of the Exchequer demanding that Waverley get the necessary funding for this commitment." Surrey Council Council, which works with the county's borough councils to administer the scheme, is also working to behind the scenes to ensure that the county gets enough cash. A spokeswoman said that it was waiting for the government to announce next month how it intends to split up the £350 million the government has set aside to fund the scheme before deciding its next move.
