Bus terminal not council's problem

Out in the open

The bus company could pay rent for a depot.

There are regular complaints in this paper about the lack of amenities for inter-city bus travellers in Napier. The complaints seem to be directed to the council.

My understanding of the situation is this. The bus company or companies concerned used to rent space at the Napier Railway Station, and when passenger rail services were terminated, the facility became solely a bus depot. The bus companies were happy to operate from an increasingly disreputable building, adorned with graffiti and in desperate need of a repaint.

It was an embarrassment to Napier, but efforts to persuade the bus company to smarten up its act fell on deaf ears. A year or so ago the company decided to quit the building and operate from the roadside.

For some reason, many people felt that it was the council's responsibility to provide this private company with a business premises, a practice that would not normally meet with the approval of ratepayers.

Of course the company could pay rent for a depot if the council provided one, but as they had chosen not to pay rent any longer for the railway station, it seems unlikely that they would pay rent for anything.

Should the council provide them with a rent-free bus terminal?

Do other city councils do that? I suspect not.

Please correct me if I've got it all wrong.

R B McGregor, Napier

Coro time upset

Re Coronation Street.

We agree with David Thew (Hawke's Bay Today October 5).

There are a lot of people very upset over the time change. Even those in rest homes will miss out, as they have dinner at 5.30pm.

I have heard that the main reason for the time change is because a certain large supermarket chain, that advertises with TV1, and is a sponsor of Masterchef have pushed for the programme to be played during primetime viewing.

Our television viewing will not include TV1, even for the news, until Coronation Street is back to 7.30pm (adult viewing time), as we are unable to watch at 5.30pm (children's viewing time), a time where scenes will be cut from the programme.

Looks like TV3 is going to be the winner in all of this.

Jeanette Darwen, HastingsAge Concern

Thanks

A huge thank you - to the people of Hastings and Napier on behalf of all the Age Concerns in Hastings, Havelock North, Flaxmere and Napier who generously gave to the Age Concern Awareness Week collectors at the end of September. Your combined support helps us to continue to maintain our services and staff in four centres across our local communities in difficult economic times. Thanks also to all the retailers and supermarkets who allowed us to use their venues and to all those people who volunteered their time to collect and distribute resources to raise awareness about Age Concern information and activities locally.

Ruth Lockley, Age Concern Hastings