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Ribble Valley MP campaigns over rural phone boxes
12:36pm Tuesday 13th May 2008
AN MP is battling to save his village phone box and claims its removal would be another attack on the rural way of life.
Nigel Evans, Conservative MP for Ribble Valley, has questioned the decision by BT to earmark a public phone box in his constituency home of Pendleton for removal.
Mr Evans claims that the phone box in Pendleton, along with others in Gisburn, West Bradford and Whalley which also face the axe, provide a vital service for members of rural communities.
BT said the cuts were necessary and were part of a review process launched five-years-ago to combat the dwindling usage of phone boxes. According to the company, more than 60 per cent of the 61,700 in the UK phone boxes were now unprofitable and kiosks such as those in Pendleton were only being used a couple of times a month.
But Evans said that usage should not be an issue.
He said: "Phone boxes provide a fantastic public service for those people and everybody else who find themselves, for whatever reason, needing to make a phone call.
"It would be a mistake to remove any from service.
"Once again, the implications of removing such services as phone boxes will hit rural areas the most.
"Not everybody has a mobile telephone and certainly in many areas of the countryside, mobile reception is very poor anyway.
"It should be part of BT's remit to maintain the public service that telephone boxes provide to those living in the countryside and especially to elderly people who may not have access to mobile phones.
"Bit by bit we are eroding the traditional rural way of life.
"The number of post offices, schools, pubs and telephone boxes in these areas are dwindling and we do not provide enough support for farmers or local small businesses."
BT claims that the amount of calls made from phone boxes has dropped by 50 per cent in the last two years and many were removed because they were losing the company money.
A spokesman said: "We have to assess the whole situation and the trend is that there will be more that become unprofitable.
"Due to the rise in popularity of mobile phones, the number of people using phone boxes has declined."
Your Say YourTelegraph
removals R me, my front room says...
12:30am Wed 14 May 08
removals R me wrote:pi$$
yes save them, usefull for a **** in on the way home.
removals R me, my front room says...
12:29am Wed 14 May 08
jane, on the line says...
6:38pm Tue 13 May 08
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SAVE IT': The Pendleton phone box Nigel Evans wants to save
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BlueMG, Blackburn says...
9:21am Wed 14 May 08
If they are only used a couple of times a month they are not profitable! So get rid!
My phonebills are high enough without having to subsidise the underutilised telephone boxes in rural villages.
If Mr Evans feels so strongly, should he not allow the couple of phone calls a month to be made at his house? Afterall, the phonebill is probably picked up by us taxpayers anayway!
Just another example of MPs showing no idea on where money should be invested and saved. No wonder the country is in a mess.
Sort out rising councl tax bills, council staff receiving paycuts, teachers and police being offered measly pay rises.
Forget the phone box or put your hand in your own pocket!