Home to school travel changes to remain for North Yorkshire ...

Senior councillors have pledged to ensure the fairest system for all parents across North Yorkshire following a debate on the authority’s revised home to school transport policy.

North Yorkshire Council has introduced the new policy to make sure that frontline services can be protected due to the escalating costs of providing home to school transport.

It is one of the three largest areas of expenditure, now costing the council £52.5 million a year – alongside adult social care and waste management.

The council’s revised home to school transport policy replaced the previous system which offered the choice of travel to the nearest school or the child’s catchment area school.

A motion which called for a potential U-turn of the policy failed to get executive support Wednesday 21 May 21.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, 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.

“We listened to people’s views and consulted widely on the proposals before the new policy was introduced.

“However, we are one of the highest spending local authorities in the country on home to school transport. We can no longer afford to offer eligibility for travel to more than one school.”

She added: “Our home to school transport policy does not directly affect where children go to school – that is still the choice of the parent or carer and we will ensure all eligible children access free travel.”

The policy, which was given the go-ahead at an executive meeting in July last year, included free transport for eligible pupils to the nearest school to their home address.

It also provides support for travel to a child who lives within the statutory walking distance to their nearest suitable school if the route has been assessed as “unsafe” and there is no other alternative route below the statutory walking distance.

All routes used to take pupils to school will be risk assessed, and discretionary powers have been extended for the eligibility of travel assistance for secondary age pupils from low-income families to attend one of their three nearest suitable schools within two to 12 miles. This is to reflect the rural context of the county and ensure low-income families in rural areas are supported.















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