At the Vale Council meeting in December, local Councillor, Matthew Barber confronted the controlling Lib Dem group over the introduction of free bus passes. There had been concern about the future of local community bus services, such as the Faringdon Community Bus, which operates in the town and surrounding villages. The funding formula proposed by the Council would have meant that they would receive only half of the price of the fare. This would have been a major blow to the viability of many local services.Councillor Barber proposed a motion that would ensure that community buses across the district did not lose out through the introduction of the scheme. Since then Vale officers have worked extremely hard to solve the problem, and it has emerged this week that community buses will receive the full fare that they are entitled to.Matthew Barber commented, "This is a small victory, ensuring these valuable local services are not adversely affected."