Cuts To Home School Transport Will Limit Choice Of Schools

7.19.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 28th May 2008

Planned County Council cuts to home to school transport grants for Worcestershire pupils will restrict choice of schools for children from poorer families, says West Worcestershire's Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Richard Burt.

Mr Burt has written to council bosses urging them not to introduce planned cuts to the home to school transport budget as part of their consultation on the proposed changes.

The Council Cabinet is being asked to cut free transport for compulsory school aged pupils with Disability Living Allowance, to axe the reduced rate ticket for post-16 students and for compulsory school aged pupils on the vacant seat payment scheme or for travelling to denominational schools.

The family ticket for travel to denominational schools would also be scrapped.

Richard Burt said: "The Council's total expenditure on home to school transport for the last financial year was over £4million.

"Savings from these cuts will be minuscule by comparison, around £70,000, but the effect of the cuts on the few hundred pupils and students who rely on the scheme could be devastating.

"Families with children on reduced rate tickets will have to pay up to £210 per year extra, and for the 125 families currently benefiting from the family ticket, many will lose out completely if they do not qualify for a government grant for those on the lowest income.

"This will put a real strain on hard pressed family budgets, restricting many to their preferred choice of school because they simply cannot afford to pay the extra travel costs involved.

"Some children may be forced to go to a different school to their older brothers and sisters because their parents simply can no longer afford to get them there.

"These are heartless and short sighted proposals that will do little to reduce costs, undermine the principle of choice in education and hit those least able to afford the changes hardest."