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25
Jan 2024
Council bids to save £3.2m on free school travel in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire Council has unveiled proposals to reduce spending on school transport by £3.2 million.
About 10,500 of 75,000 pupils in North Yorkshire currently receive free transport, according to a council report. It says the proposals could affect 1,866 children over seven years.
The report says the cost of providing home to school travel is the council's third largest spending item after adult social care and waste management. It has increased from £20 million in 2015/16 to a forecasted £42.1 million in 2023/24.
It says this is mainly due to an increase in the number of pupils eligible and the rising costs of providing the service.
It plans to run a 28-day consultation from February 5 to March 20 on the proposed changes, which could mainly affect families whose children do not attend the nearest schools to their homes.
The Stray Ferret spoke to Liberal Democrat councillor Barbara Brodigan who represents Ripon Ure Bank and Spa division and is on the the council's appeals committee for home to school transport.
She said that councillors will not know the exact details of the policy until after the consultation, but “there are very specific guidelines from the Department for Education” for the council to follow.
Cllr Brodigan said:
Cllr Brodigan said sending children to schools that are not closest to home was often down to “parental choice”.
But she added:
Cllr Brodigan says this has been an issue previously with children living on the borders of towns and counties.
She said:
What is being considered?
The North Yorkshire Council website states the upcoming consultations should include:
- Retention of early eligibility in the Reception year
- Retention of extended eligibility in Year 3
- Amendment to the main eligibility criterion to be ‘nearest school (with places available)’ to match the statutory requirement
- Removal of eligibility on the basis on 50/50 second address
- Removal of eligibility for the primary phase on low-income denominational grounds
- Removal of blanket eligibility to transport support for 2 days SEND transitions
The Department for Education’s 2023 statutory guide for local authorities states a child is eligible to free home to school travel if “they are of compulsory school age, attend their nearest suitable school and live more than the statutory walking distance from that school.”
The guide clarifies:
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