Accrington on Rails - The Tramways: A Complete History - Robert Kenyon

Total yards 3,862 At a meeting of the Transport Committee it was resolved that under Section 80, of the Accrington Corporation Act 1928, an application would be made to the Ministry of Transport for permission to abandon the Clayton Section of the tramway, from the junction of Whalley Road with Burnley Road to the Clayton-le-Moors terminus. This would be subject to an agreement with Lancashire County Council as to the reinstatement of the road surface and the substitution of an omnibus service. Finally, the Borough Engineer was authorised to dispose of the tram rails being lifted in consequence of the abandonment of the tramway, “on the most favourable terms available”. March The Transport Sub-Committee met and the General Manager then submitted his proposals for fixing the stages and fares on the omnibus services operating on the Oswaldtwistle Section. The Town Clerk then submitted a letter from Accrington’s Limbless Ex-Servicemen’s Association along with those from Church and Oswaldtwistle, requesting that ‘free’ travel should be given to members of the Association who were resident in their Boroughs on both the trams and the buses. It was resolved the Town Clerk would reply that, “Whilst this Committee had every sympathy with this application, they could not see their way to granting this privilege to residents or ratepayers in other districts in which the trams and omnibuses operate, unless the authorities in those districts were prepared to make a suitable contribution in respect of the costs”. The Transport Committee met, when the Town Clerk reported he had been in talks with representatives from Church UDC with regard to the abandonment of the Church Section of the tramway. He was now in a position to report that terms had been agreed with Lancashire County Council for the reinstatement of the highway surface within Church, on similar lines to those agreed with Oswaldtwistle UDC for the road through to that Council’s boundary. It was also resolved that the Sub-Committee would meet with representatives from Oswaldtwistle UDC to request the terms on which limbless ex-servicemen resident within their authority would be able to travel without having to pay. It was resolved that the Town Clerk would forward a copy of Resolution 166, passed by Accrington in January, which restricted free travel to persons on the trams and buses who resided within the Borough of Accrington. He was instructed to request the UDC to define exactly the areas and the extent to which they wanted this privilege to be granted on behalf of those who qualified, this so that it could be calculated what contribution should be made by Oswaldtwistle UDC. April At a meeting of the Transport Sub-Committee, a joint letter was received from the St. John Ambulance Association and the Accrington & District Workpeople’s Hospital Fund for a reduction in the charges made for the use of the Motor Ambulance when conveying people to hospitals outside the Borough. It was resolved the Town Clerk would meet with them to negotiate suitable terms. With regard to the application by Church UDC for free passes for limbless ex-servicemen, it was resolved that in respect of the seven members of the Association who qualified, the Corporation would be prepared to allow free travel between Accrington town centre and Oswaldtwistle providing Church UDC made a grant of £1 – 1s – 0d per year in respect of each of these individuals. Since a similar request had been made by Oswaldtwistle UDC, it was resolved that these terms would also be offered to them. The Transport Manager reported that up until then by virtue of their free travel passes, these disabled ex servicemen resident within the Borough had been able to travel to the tramway termini on the trams. It was decided that the boundaries would now be extended to cover Green Street and Stanhill in Oswaldtwistle, and the Forts Arms in Clayton on the omnibus services. The Town Clerk reported that no objections had been received in response to the notice recently published by the Corporation, that they were proposing to abandon the tramway in Oswaldtwistle and also on the Clayton-le-Moors Section, and to substitute omnibuses thereon. It was further resolved to relocate the ‘request’ stop at present positioned on a standard just below the entrance to Haworth Park on Manchester Road, to a place immediately above the gates to Haworth Park. The Town Clerk reported that no objections had been received in response to the notice recently published by the Corporation, that they were proposing to abandon the tramway in Oswaldtwistle and also on the Clayton-le-Moors Section, and to substitute omnibuses thereon.

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