'Will the Bus Bill deliver real change for Shropshire?' - Your Letters and a snow day throwback picture of Bridgnorth kids in 1964

The long awaited Bus Bill with it's promise of a 'bus revolution' as stated in the King's Speech, has passed through Parliament. It now remains to be seen what difference it will make to Shropshire. This will depend on what funding follows it.

It is supposed to secure and improve bus services outside of the Metropolitan boroughs.

Many parts of Shropshire are totally reliant on buses and the Bus Bill could make a difference to connectivity between our towns and to give a viable access to railway stations from towns that lost theirs in the 60s and 70s.

It all depends on funding: Shrewsbury is already trialling late buses to strengthen the night-time economy and it is hoped that other towns will have the kind of frequency and hours of operation that will encourage more people to use public transport to access bars and restaurants with the freedom to have an alcoholic drink.

It is also important for hospitality to be able to access staff as the working day is no longer 9 to 5.

For too long the smart money has gone to the Metro mayors which has facilitated game-changing improvements to rail, Metro and bus services. It's time the Shires had a piece of the action...

Much of the traffic congestion in the Metro area emanates from the Shires. This will increase as Shropshire builds thousands of homes for the West Midlands County that will be using Shropshire's pot-holed roads to commute. Might there be some obligation upon the Metro boroughs to share the cost of improving public transport along the commuter routes?

We will no doubt see whether the 'bus revolution' is felt in Shropshire or we remain a transport backwater.

Mike Crump, Bridgnorth

Help needed for terminally ill

The energy price cap is set to rise again in January. For those at the end of life, energy costs can double - forcing people to make heartbreaking choices between heating their homes, powering essential medical equipment, or buying food.

Last year alone, 120,000 people across the UK died in fuel poverty and Marie Curie received over 2,000 energy-related enquiries through our free Support Line.

We are urging the UK Government to implement a social tariff that provides at least a 50 per cent discount on energy bills for households affected by terminal illness.

The last months, weeks and days of someone’s life should be a time to focus on what really matters: making memories with family and friends and living as well as you possibly can. Action must be taken now to help families and to ensure that no one spends this time worrying about how to pay for essentials like heat and electricity.

Jamie Thunder, Marie Curie

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