COUNCILLORS are to rethink doubling the charge levied on those claiming travel tokens from Test Valley Borough Council.

The charge was introduced in 1999 to deter those people who obtained the tokens because they were free but never used them.

Older people who are on benefits and people who are disabled do not pay the charge. The council's executive decided to double the charge from £5 to £10 in a bid to contain the spiralling cost of its concessionary fares scheme but the council's overview and scrutiny committee had only suggested a £1 increase and has called the matter in for further discussion.

When the matter arose at the scrutiny committee, chairman David Drew used his casting vote to 'call in' the procedure for further debate.

Robin Hughes, said: "We fight like mad not to increase the council tax by £5 but we seem quite happy to increase this charge by £5."

He was worried about those on fixed incomes and reminded colleagues that unless they acted immediately they would not be able to raise the issue again for another six months under the council's rules.

Councillor Tim Southern, however, backed the increase and said the council needed the extra £47,000 it would bring in. "To the council this is a lot of money but to an individual it's 'small beer' and is reasonable in that light," he said. But Andover councillor Barbara Levitt did not like the small beer tag.

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