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PROPOSALS to remove dozens of rural phone boxes in North Yorkshire represent another erosion of the basic public services provided to those who live, or spend time in, the countryside.

BT has embarked on a consultation process which the cynical may dismiss as a waste of time. That's understandable given the outcome of a similar exercise carried out by BT's corporate sister, the Post Office, over branch closures, but apathy is always dangerous.

At this stage, with a month to go to the end of the consultation, we have to give BT the opportunity to fulfil its promise to consider all the arguments and keep those phone boxes where a clear social need is demonstrated.

BT's case is that demand does not justify the expense of maintaining the existing network.

The onus is on individual communities, probably through their parish councils, to make the case for retention.

The most credible reason for keeping an individual phone box is the quality of mobile phone reception. Where one of the major networks doesn't reach a community, that will be a major reason for retention, but the evidence of that will have to be factual and not anecdotal.

So, too, will evidence of accidents on roads in the vicinity, or other emergency circumstances where the presence of a phone box could be the difference between life and death.

Phone boxes can be saved but only if communities do their homework and make a convincing case.

10:49am Friday 20th June 2008

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