Council proposes £2m school transport cuts
Getty ImagesA council has proposed cutting back non-statutory free transport for schoolchildren in a move it calculates could save almost £2m over the next few years.
Westmorland and Furness Council, in south Cumbria, has opened a public consultation on the proposals.
If approved, the authority said the step would be introduced next year and affect new intakes of reception, Year 7 pupils and children eligible for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) post-16 transport, rather than pupils at their current schools.
Liberal Democrat councillor Adrian Waite, of Kirkby Stephen and Tebay, warned children in his ward would face difficulty getting to A-level classes.
Statutory walking distances are used across the country to determine whether a child is eligible for free travel to their nearest school.
Under-eights qualify if the building is more than two miles (3.2km) from their home, while those eight or over are eligible if their nearest is more than three miles (5km) away.
Council debate
The worst affected would be secondary-age pupils who attended a school which was not their nearest, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
The council estimated 120 would be impacted in 2027/28, rising to 600 once the policy was fully embedded, which would take five years.
Officers said that step, alongside removing services for 49 primary school children over the same period, could generate £1m in savings.
The removal of free transport for children who are not yet of compulsory school age – four years old – would see 64 impacted in 2027/28, with 448 affected once it is fully embedded after seven years.
Meanwhile, an introduction of charges for post-16 SEND pupils would affect 87 youngsters over the course of its two-year implementation, with savings of up to £94,000 annually based on the current cohort.
A further 87 pupils would be affected by the introduction of a "hierarchy of transport assistance" - saving the council up to £100,000 each year.
Councillors will debate the proposals at a meeting of the Children, Young People and Families Scrutiny Committee on Monday in Barrow.
