Campaigners to hold protest over home to school transport
North Yorkshire Council is holding a meeting about the policy today
Campaigners will protest outside a key meeting on home-to-school transport today.
North Yorkshire Council leaders will hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss a controversial policy change which means children only get free transport to their nearest school rather than their catchment school.
Opposition councillors requested the meeting amid concerns about the impact of the change on families and schools.
The School Transport Action Group (STAG), which was formed to fight the rule change, has welcomed the decision to hold a meeting.
A spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We would like to thank all councillors who have worked together to make this crucial meeting happen. The clock is ticking for pupils starting school this September.
“We know first-hand how much anxiety and turmoil this is causing families, so it is vital that councillors take this chance to do the right thing and vote to reinstate free transport to local catchment schools.
“That single change is all it takes to sort this mess out.”
Council leader Carl Les previously defended the policy saying it was a “very difficult decision”, which was made in July last year, which was taken “in the face of having to make savings across all budgets in the council, to fall into line with the vast majority of our neighbouring authorities, and most throughout the country, in removing the discretionary element of home-to-school transport and only fulfilling our statutory duty for paying for transport to the nearest school”.
Cllr Les said completion of the first phase of the new policy introduction showed that “all children were being educated, no school was closing, no unsuitable routes were being used and well over 90 per cent of children had got their first preference”.
He added: “This does not mean forcing children to attend their nearest school, only removing the burden on the taxpayer to pay for parental choice. Low-income families will be assisted with travel costs.
The extraordinary meeting will be held at 10am on May 21 at County Hall, Northallerton.