HUNDREDS of children at Warrington schools look set to lose free bus travel as the borough council moves to save up to £180,000 a year on school transport.
The council’s executive board is being recommended to provide free school buses only when legally obliged to do so from September next year.
But officers have watered down the original proposals to axe discretionary spending on school buses so that children in Years 10 or 11 of secondary school in 2013-14 and 2014-15, who currently get free transport, will continue to do so.
All children from low income families who currently receive support will also continue to do so.
The changes have been made in response to objections received during a consultation period of more than 12 weeks.
Members of the executive board will be asked to make the final decision on Monday when executive member for young people’s services Cllr Colin Froggatt (pictured) presents a full report on the issue.(October 15).
But the proposed changes are not expected to appease objectors. Members of the “Say No” campaign group are planning to demonstrate outside the Town Hall.
A total of 148 people responded to the consultation, with 171 submissions.
More than half the respondents were from Grappenhall and Thelwall – not unexpected given the number of children from those areas currently benefiting from free transport to Lymm High School.
Of all responses, 67 per cent were objecting, 31 per cent were seeking clarification and only two per cent (three people) offered support for the changes.
A major concern for parents involved children who could have to change school because of the proposals, disrupting GCSE education, and this is why officers are recommending Year 10 and 11 pupils continue to be supported.
Some parents have concerns that some walking routes to schools are not safe but the council says it will consider investment to remove the hazards.
Hundreds set to lose free school buses
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Former Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Patron Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
3 Comments
Changing schools rather than paying bus fare? The buses shouldn’t have been free in the first place.
And the problem is once people get freebies (which of course aren’t actually free as somebody ends up paying for them), they then expect them to continue as a right. As a matter of interest from what I can gather the likes of Lymm High School is becoming an Academy with its own budget, so why doesn’t it pay the bus fares, or arrange its own transport to Grappenhall and Thelwall.
Two very good points. My daughter currently gets free bus travel and shock horror we might start to have to pay for it. Hardly a hardship in the current climate. The point re the acadamies using their additional funding thats been top sliced off the Council’s LEA funding is also well made. These are Tory and Libdem Government’s Cuts not the Councils and there will be another set of cuts imposed on our Council next year.