Dame Joan's crusade for bus passes

Veteran broadcaster Dame Joan Bakewell today led a pensioners' revolt against calls to scrap free bus passes for the middle classes.

A report for town hall chiefs says only the poorest should get free travel - and that the better-off should pay.

Dame Joan, 76, who was appointed to be a voice for older people by the Government last year, said: "It's a big mistake, it is heading for disaster."

She warned that the Government would be hit by a huge backlash if councils went ahead with the idea. "It will put elderly people's backs up tremendously and they are a lot of voters."

Free bus passes for all over-60s were brought in at a cost of £1billion a year.

The report commissioned by the Local Government Association said: "Better targeting at the scheme's intended beneficiaries would generate savings which could support lower-cost travel."

Dame Joan said: "One of the perks of getting older is a free bus pass. From whatever level you start, you suffer a drop in income when you retire."