The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
The (Lincolnshire County Council) decision to not help with the running of the local Donington K59 bus service is going to have far reaching effects for many residents.
Donington and the surrounding villages residents have to rely on the bus for many of life’s necessities that townsfolk can just take for granted.
A trip to the doctors, dentist and hospital for example is now just not possible unless it is a whole day’s outing, which of course is just not practical or acceptable.
Members of our local thriving Donington health walking group are now not able to attend the health walks due to the reduction in the bus service timetable.
Walkers coming from the Swineshead and Bicker direction and also from Spalding, Surfleet and Gosberton direction are now unable to join in the walks.
Health walks for some members are not just a social occasion but do attend weekly on their doctors and hospitals advice to help prevent life threatening illness or to aid in their recovery from many serious conditions.
Residents in the surrounding area will now find it even harder to support the local shops, bank and other businesses as they will struggle to get into and out of Donington without having hours of delays waiting for the next bus.
Residents in rural communities will then just have no option but to use online banking services or companies that can deliver their goods.
I won’t bother even get into the lack of an evening bus service for the teenagers, or adults going out to work, the cinema, theatre and many other numerous clubs and societies.
Planning permission granted by the South Holland Council for 2017 has an extra 200 dwellings approved for Donington alone, with many more being built in Quadring, Gosberton and Swineshead.
How are these extra people supposed to be able to get to work or use any of the public services freely available to the residents of the main towns that all the rural population contribute towards?
Donington residents unlike those in Boston, Swineshead or Spalding don’t even have the luxury of being able to choose an alternative means of public transport, such as the train service that we watch and listen to as it passes on by.
Eddie Finch
Donington
