Illustration by John Sadler www.johnsadlerillustration.com

• WITH the media recently obsessed with the Cummings and goings of a particular individual, one story seems to have been buried. It is one that involves movement by far more people than a single person.

My reference is to the move to restrict the use of the Freedom Pass. They are a real boon for the elderly in London, notably those with jobs that mean starting during times coinciding with the rush-hour and/or hospital appointments that do the same.

This apparently arises from the need for the financial assistance needed by Transport for London that was announced very recently and has been kept very quiet up to now.

This brings to mind how Conservative prime ministers regard many of our publicly funded services, with another superb example being how the same party is gradually bringing the BBC into line with the PBS channel in the US, namely the worthy service that no one ever watches.

The BBC case started with the World Service being taken off the costs of the foreign office and their entire expense for it being put on the BBC but still praised as a great British achievement.

More recently the BBC has been lumbered with the entire costs for the free TV licence for pensioners and once again it has been an absolute boon for us OAPs and it is as well to recall this all occurred well before the Covid crisis.

There will be many things being blamed on Covid-19, we need only pay attention to how promptly some employers have announced the sacking of employees.

We can fully expect the “temporary” restrictions being placed on our Freedom Passes to turn out to be somewhat less than temporary.

With the present government in the role of paymaster deciding where the money of the British taxpayer goes it is obvious, that in this case, Covid is clearly the excuse not the reason.

In short, he who pays the piper calls the tune. It is perhaps a pity that we are lumbered with a governing party with a thumping majority for the next five years.

H BOURNE, SW1