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27
May
Campaigners welcome parliamentary debate on home-to-school transport
Campaigners fighting changes to home-to-school transport provision have welcomed support from Harrogate and Knaresborough's MP after he secured a parliamentary debate on the issue.
The Westminster Hall debate, due to take place on Thursday, June 4, will focus on concerns surrounding recent changes to school transport eligibility, accessibility and affordability introduced by North Yorkshire Council.
The policy means the council will only provide free school transport to a child’s nearest school, meaning transport is not offered to catchment schools which are not the closest.
Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said he secured the debate because too many families were being negatively affected by the changes.
He said:
I have already been contacted by a significant number of constituents who have outlined how these changes are affecting their children’s ability to get to school safely and on time, and the strain it is placing on family budgets.
These experiences matter, and they deserve to be heard at the highest level.
The MP is encouraging affected families to share their experiences ahead of the debate to help highlight the impact of the policy changes.
STAG protested at County Hall in Northallerton on the day the council voted for the policy change.
Campaign group School Transport Action Group welcomed the move and praised Mr Gordon for backing rural families.
A spokesperson for the group said:
We are incredibly grateful to Tom Gordon for the support he has shown rural families on this issue from the very beginning.
He has worked closely with campaigners, helped ensure our petition reached the Department for Education and, crucially, he has refused to give up on families being left stranded by these policies.
The group also criticised current national guidance around home-to-school transport, arguing that it leaves rural communities vulnerable to service reductions.
North Yorkshire Council has previously defended the changes, saying the revised policy was designed to create a fairer and more sustainable transport system while helping address rising costs and increasing demand for school transport services.
Council leaders have argued that the authority faces significant financial pressures and that the updated arrangements bring North Yorkshire more closely in line with statutory requirements followed by many other councils.
The authority has also said support remains in place for eligible pupils and that it continues to meet its legal responsibilities for home-to-school transport provision.
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