CC(3)VS13

Response from Welsh Border Community Transport

Welsh Border Community Transport is a charity based in Flintshire.

We provide door to door transport for the elderly and disadvantaged in cars and minibuses.

From small beginnings in the early 90s run entirely by volunteers with 1 minibus and 3 privately owned volunteers cars, we have grown to our current state of 6 paid staff and upwards of 30 volunteers, of which some 25 act as car or minibus drivers.

In the period April 07 to September 07 we made 968 bus journeys carrying 6140 passengers and 1578 car journeys.

The majority of our vehicles (1 car, 2 single wheelchair vehicles and 8 minibuses) have been acquired by donations or grants from for example: Flintshire County Council, Flintshire Local Help Board, The big Lottery. The availability of grants for capital purchase such as these is generally satisfactory but the work involved in applying for them can be vast.

The major problem is with revenue grants. Two of our paid staff are funded with a Big Lottery grant which is due to end in July 2008. Having had a grant previously we are unable to reapply for an extension to it. Three of the other paid posts are funded from the Community Transport Concessionary Fare Initiative, funded until March 2009 by WAG. The car driver post is funded on an annual basis by Flintshire County Council. This post is subject to no decrease in funding to Flintshire County Council.

These paid posts have become absolutely crucial to the efficient operation of the organisation. A major concern is the securing of funds to allow for continuity of employment. Without these employees Welsh Border Community Transport would be unable to continue at it’s current capacity.