Pretty much the first thing I saw when I turned on my computer this morning was this story about declining bus services in Stoke on Trent. I come from Congleton, a small town just north of Stoke, so it got my attention. When I was living in the area, Stoke had a bit of a reputation for being a run down, forgotten city. Having not lived there for so long, I can’t really say whether it still has or deserves that reputation, but what I read this morning and the bit of research I did after don’t make me optimistic. 

If that is the case though, it Stoke on Trent is still a largely forgotten city desperately in need of investment and attention, then what I wrote here about levelling up being a joke, seems even more perverse. Here in London, busses arrive every ten minutes; the city has one of the best public transport systems in the world. If any building starts to look run down, either it gets the attention it needs, or is demolished and brand spanking new buildings are put in its place. Here in east London especially, you can barely move without encountering a building site. That this isn’t the case outside the M25 seems utterly unfair to me. Is it really the case that London is  booming while the rest of the country is being left to go to ruin?

What gets to me most, though, is how this disparity is reflected in infrastructure and access for disabled people. If there is no money going into services everyone needs in places like Stoke, I dread to think what things must be like for my fellow wheelchair users. I’m now used to getting on and off busses quite easily, the wheelchair ramp coming out at the touch of a button. That such ease can still only be found in the capital really is shocking.