Strike - Last Resort - Citybus Union Leader States

7.18.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 7th Jul 2009

A CITYBUS union leader promised that strikes would be the last resort in their battle to stop the council selling off bus company shares.

"If we were to take any action like a strike it would make the public turn against us," Andy Gibbons, the chairman of the Citybus branch of Unite union said.

Mr Gibbons was speaking during a city centre protest by Citybus campaigners. Protesters lobbied city councillors on their way to a meeting of the full council.

"We might consider a strike as a last resort when they decide to sell Citybus to show that we are against it," Mr Gibbons said.

He said they had already collected about 17,000 signatures on a petition against the sell-off, and would present it to the council at the next full meeting on August 3.

He said: "Selling off Citybus is not right for the people of Plymouth. Any private company will end up cutting services that don't make money."

Mark Baskerville, the Unite representative at Citybus, said: "People are unhappy with the way the council's scrutiny process is happening.

"If people have issues about the Citybus sell-off they should be discussed.

"Every Conservative councillor I tried to talk to before the council meeting either said 'No comment' or wouldn't speak at all."

The city council is spending up to £962,000 on an exercise to find out the market value of Citybus prior to a possible sale of shares.

Council leader Vivien Pengelly told the full council yesterday that her party had changed its policy on Citybus because of the recession.

Challenged by Labour's Bill Stevens over whether the sell-off was in the Tory manifesto, Mrs Pengelly said: "Your Prime Minister said there would be no boom and bust. But things have changed."

Mrs Pengelly told councillors that no decision had been taken on whether to sell shares in Citybus, which is an independent company wholly owned by the city council.

She said any decision would be taken by the full council, and not within the controlling Conservative group on the council.

In a separate statement, issued yesterday, Stephen Kearney, the chairman of the South West Devon Liberal Democrats, attacked the Conservatives for "pursuing their failed privatisation policy at the expense of Plymouth". He said they wanted to "drive down council tax bills in a cynical move to stay in power."

Mr Kearney also attacked Labour for "jumping on the demo bandwagon".

"Citybus should get investment and be run like a social enterprise, a hard-nosed business that will return profit year on year to the city in perpetuity," Mr Kearney said. "Labour have been in power in this city for many years and they have failed to develop a modern transport system."

The Number 4 evening bus service to Keyham has been withdrawn because it is no longer viable, Kevin Wigens, the Cabinet member for transport, said yesterday.

Questioned by Devonport Labour councillor Nicky Wildy, Mr Wigens said the council's transport department faced a £1.3million deficit because the Government was failing to pay in full for concessionary fares.

Ms Wildy accused Mr Wigens of stopping a service that many elderly people relied on.