No I am not making this up. Here’s the link:
Consultation link: http://www.durham.gov.uk/article/6658/Home-to-schoolcollege-transport-consultation
The council has over £200million in reserves and says it wants to:
Remove the automatic entitlement to free home to school transport for:
- pupils in years 10 and 11 who move house while in the middle of their exam years,
- post-16 students who live in areas where there is no viable public transport system,
- post-16 students who cannot travel independently due to a medical condition or disability.
Their justification is:
They say they need to find millions of pounds of savings and:
1. Removing these automatic entitlements will help us to target financial support to those households in greatest need.
2. The proposals include the option to set up a Hardship Fund to meet transport costs in exceptional circumstances where families need financial help.
A few of my concerns here are:
1. That whilst it is possible council officers will act in a proper manner and make sure those on the lowest income get assistance, that is by no means guaranteed as they will be under pressure to meet financial targets.
2. Who decides which families are in hardship and at what level. A parent could earn more than the threshold, but have lots of other bills to pay.
3. Why seek to disrupt a child in the middle of their exam period, just seems plain wrong.
4. Parents of children in rural areas may have higher costs already such as transport. This policy could disrupt parental work patterns and put at risk those living in more rural communities.
5. As for those with medical conditions being penalised – really what planet are this Labour-run Council on!
I wonder what Jeremy Corbyn would think of a Council paying a Chief Exec nearly £200k but not able to help a disabled child get to school so their parents can get to work.
I’m not even sure David Cameron would approve of this.
The Council has repeatedly refused Lib Dem calls to cut the number of directors earning £120,000-£200,000 a year.
They have delayed plans to reduce mileage allowances for councillors and staff from 48p a mile to 45p a mile which would save a third of the money.
The council has refused to scrap its publicity magazine or its SIX publicity departments which would save double the savings from these transport proposals.
Presumably our well paid execs and Labour councillors need as many means as possible of telling as many people as possible about which cuts to the vulnerable they are planning.
Which seems more important to them than school transport for a disabled child!
I for one do not support their proposals.
Consultation link:
http://www.durham.gov.uk/article/6658/Home-to-schoolcollege-transport-consultation