DistantNews
Support us
Bus fares in western Scotland capped at £2 from Monday
🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Economy & Trade

Bus fares in western Scotland capped at £2 from Monday

From BBC News · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Bus journeys in Glasgow and five neighboring areas will cost no more than £2 from Monday under a Scottish government pledge.
  • John Swinney also announced plans to reduce Scotland’s 14 health boards to two, a proposal criticized by Unite as a threat to jobs and services.
  • The government will introduce a misogyny bill and aim to ensure that no patient waits more than 26 weeks for treatment by 2031.

Bus fares across much of western Scotland will be capped at £2 from Monday morning, First Minister John Swinney announced as he set out the Scottish government’s programme for the new parliamentary session.

most significant structural reform in the NHS in the era of devolution

— John SwinneySwinney used the phrase to describe the planned reduction of Scotland’s health boards from 14 to two.

The cap will cover journeys in Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire and Inverclyde. It fulfills part of an SNP manifesto pledge to reduce single bus fares to £2 across Scotland by the end of the parliamentary term. A similar cap already operates in the Highlands and islands, but Swinney did not give a timetable for extending it to the rest of the country.

Swinney also confirmed plans to reduce Scotland’s health boards from 14 to two, dividing the country into eastern and western structures. The chief executives of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian are leading the work, which began last November. The government says the change should free more time and capacity for treatment, but it has not established whether the new structure will save money through fewer senior positions or streamlined departments.

slash and burn programme for the NHS

— UniteThe trade union used the phrase to criticize the health-board restructuring plan.

Unite condemned the proposal as a “slash and burn programme for the NHS.” General secretary Sharon Graham said it would “inevitably result in swingeing cuts and thousands of job losses across the public sector” and warned that workers “will not be the collateral damage for the Scottish government’s failings.”

inevitably result in swingeing cuts and thousands of job losses across the public sector

— Sharon GrahamThe Unite general secretary warned about the possible effects of reducing the number of health boards.

The programme also includes a proposed misogyny bill, dropped last year, and a public health campaign aimed at challenging misogynistic attitudes among boys and young men. Swinney said he would provide the “personal leadership required to tackle the epidemic of male violence against women and girls.” He also promised that by 2031 no patient would wait more than 26 weeks for treatment, a longer target than the 12-week limit promised in 2011 for inpatient or day-case care after diagnosis.

personal leadership required to tackle the epidemic of male violence against women and girls

— John SwinneySwinney described his commitment to the proposed misogyny bill and related public health campaign.
About this summary

Originally published by BBC News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog