BUSES or the lack of them once again rears its ugly head. Highfield Road may be only a short distance to go to get your pension and shopping from local businesses you like to trade with, but if you are getting to the age where a bus is a necessity to get to these places you are marooned when your local bus has been cancelled once again.

No use putting people in a pleasant small community environment complete with community centre for the bingo sessions and social activities when they are practically prisoners as they cannot get to the nearest post office, shops, library, or just into the wider community.

Before the problems of the buses there was the closure of the post offices. I even tried getting a post box -- just a small one -- near to or outside Highfield Library. I was told there was a box outside the post office -- try telling that to someone not too good on their feet when they want to post a letter and one of our famous winds are blowing. There are moves afoot to put on another service. This takes time. When it is agreed then it has to be given permission to go into service before it can become operable. Why then wasn't the other route left in place until the new one was started?

There is the "Rideability" service -- pre-booked the day before. I am reliably informed this is a very good alternative door-to-door and perhaps this might help until the new service (which I am told should be half hourly not two hours) is operable.

In the meantime both Councillor Susan Fowler and myself are still trying to do all that is possible to try to hurry things along so the elderly residents of our area do not feel they are being neglected and marooned when all they want are ways and means to get around and feel independent.

Councillor Lily Henderson, Town Hall, Blackpool