Having been there recently, I read the article about Mr Goodwill’s concern about the free bus passes for pensioners.

I wonder what planet he is on?

Does he not realise the prosperity the thousands of visitors bring to Whitby.

I would like to congratulate James White on his letter to the Gazette.

Everything he says in his letter is fully supported by everybody I spoke to in Whitby.

Patrick O’Hanlon, Birmingham, via email

Your correspondent James White (Gazette 12 September) may have inadvertently misrepresented my position on the pensioner’s concessionary bus scheme.

Conservatives support the scheme and would retain it; however, we are very critical of the way that ministers have allocated funding.

They are very keen to take the credit for the scheme, but expect local councils to pick up the bill.

The cost of a journey is picked up by the council where that leg of the journey begins.

Whitby is a very popular tourist destination (as is Scarborough) and this has meant a shortfall of nearly £1m in this first year of operation, which will have to be paid by hard-pressed council tax payers.

Other councils such as Surrey have made handsome surpluses.

The Government has allocated £1bn for a billion pensioner journeys but the way they have shared this out around the country has been nothing short of chaotic.

As to the allegation I have a Rolls Royce, I don’t think that I could run one of those on the 40p per mile allowance given to MPs.

Robert Goodwill MP, Shadow Minister for Transport, House of Commons, London