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18
Sept
Council accused of “quietly” moving back date of school transport policy review
North Yorkshire Council chiefs have been accused of “quietly” pushing back the date of a review of a controversial home-to-school policy change.
Parents and campaigners have highlighted council documents from last year, when councillors voted through the new rules, which say a post-implementation review would take place in July 2025.
But councillors will this week be told the review will start next summer.
Campaigners believe this would mean the earliest children to benefit from any changes resulting from the review would be those starting school in September 2028, at the earliest.
The issue was raised this week at a meeting of the council’s Richmond area committee by parent Kodi Sanerivi, from Hornby, between Northallerton and Darlington, who has been told he will only get free transport for his child to Conyers School in Yarm.
He had argued that his son Zac, who has type 1 diabetes, needed to be with his supportive peer group from primary school who are all attending their catchment school, Northallerton School, but his appeals were turned down.
A North Yorkshire school bus. Photo: North Yorkshire Council.
Calling for an independent review of the policy to take place this year, Mr Sanerivi told councillors:
When you voted for this policy in July 2024, officers promised that the review would happen in July 2025.
That was their recommendation. Without any discussion, it has quietly been pushed back a year. Parents deserve to know why and we deserve better than delay.
Jo Foster, from the School Transport Action Group (STAG), which was formed to fight the policy change, added:
Unless the council sticks to its word and ensures the review begins this year and reports back by early spring, rural families and local schools face at least another three years of needless damage.
Even if the council finally admits the policy is failing, families won’t see relief any time soon. Any changes would have to be consulted on, then voted on, and finally published a full year in advance before taking effect. That means the earliest possible date for fixes would be September 2028.
The new policy, which has started to take effect this month, means the council will only pay to transport a child to their catchment school if it is also their nearest suitable school.
Members of the authority’s children and families overview and scrutiny committee met on Wednesday to hear about the post-implementation review, which the authority confirmed this week would start in July 2026.
They will be told the timing of the review is designed to allow a full round of admissions to have taken place, and travel to have begun and operated for a year.
North Yorkshire Council’s deputy leader, Councillor Gareth Dadd, whose responsibilities include finance, said:
We adopted this policy last year to ensure that we can provide the fairest system possible for all parents, while facing such significant rises in the cost of providing the service.
The meeting on Wednesday is an opportunity for elected members to learn more about what the review entails so they will be able to see the progress of the policy after its first year of implementation.
They represent our communities and will have listened to feedback and so it will be valuable to hear what the committee’s members feel about the scope of the review.
The council says the policy change was made to make the home-to-school transport policy “fair to all families, responsible and affordable” and to help reduce the £52.5m annual bill for the service.
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