A FORMER Eastleigh mayor has secured thousands of pounds for transport services for the elderly and disabled after making an emotional plea to councillors.

Councillor Maureen Sollitt - who was first citizen four years ago - successfully urged the borough's Eastleigh Local Committee to contribute £10,000 to Dial-a-Ride over the next four years after using her father as an example.

Eastleigh Dial-a-Ride provides door-to-door transport for borough residents who are unable or have difficulty using public transport.

It has about 1,000 registered users and its two minibuses provide more than 13,000 passenger trips each year.

Trial runs with a third bus have revealed unmet demand for the service - and extra money is needed to run a third bus permanently.

Mrs Sollitt told the committee about her 83-year-old father who had given up driving three years ago and now relies on Dial-a-Ride to get to Eastleigh and to his local church.

"He finds it a godsend," she told committee colleagues.

The Dial-a-Ride service is jointly funded by Eastleigh and Hampshire County Council, and running the third bus will cost each council £50,000 over four years.