Sir - I was astonished to read your second negative story in a month Headaches over free bus travel about the introduction of free bus travel for British pensioners.

This must be one of the best developments introduced by any government in many years, yet The Oxford Times appears to see no merit in the scheme.

Hundreds of thousands of pensioners, and possibly millions, who cannot afford to travel far afield will be able to do so, while better-off pensioners will be able to leave their cars at home in order to travel. What could be better for individuals and society as a whole?

Of course it will cost money but so do all the good things provided by government at all levels - schools, healthcare, parks and the rest.

And it is only right and proper that those in society who earn most money should contribute most towards our public services. If this means paying a bit more council tax to enable Oxford's pensioners to get out more and have a better life, I'm all for it. I have a sense that the political culture of the 1980s, which saw the needs of the individual placed higher than those of society as a whole, has distorted many people's understanding of the balance between the cost and provision of public services. It's as if everyone wants better schools, libraries, roads and so on, but nobody is prepared to pay for them. Well I am.

Stuart Skyte, Oxford