Council to review school transport over concerns about siblings being split up

At a meeting of Powys County Council on Thursday, a motion was discussed asking for more clarity on the policy.

Councillor Lucy Roberts, who brought the motion, explained that changes to the policy have caused problems for families.

She said that in the village of Llandrinio which she represents, parents had the choice of sending their children either to Llanfyllin or Welshpool high schools.

Since the changes to the transport policy had been made, siblings were being told that they had to attend different schools, she said.

Older children who attend Llanfyllin can still receive free transport to go there, but their younger brothers or sisters would only receive free transport to go to Welshpool.

Councillor Roberts said: “The effect of this has been to create unnecessary stress for pupils and their parents and will in some cases result in parents following the bus into school, unnecessarily increasing carbon footprints.

“Parents and pupils deserve to have a policy which is fair and flexible and prioritises choice.”

Councillor Roberts said that “relying” on the appeals process to provide the flexibility is “not good enough”.

Problems with the appeals process had been highlighted with families with similar complaints being decided on differently, she said.

Several councillors agreed with this point, having experienced the appeals process for themselves.

Councillor Roberts wanted councillors to back her call to ensure that the current review of the Home to School Transport Policy not only delivers greater clarity but also supports greater parental choice of school, where this can be done without increasing the total school transport budget.

Councillor Gareth D Jones wanted to see the motion broadened to include apprentices.

He explained that one of his constituents, who attended college in Newtown one day a week, was not able to get free transport as he was classed as being in “full time employment”.

“It has been sorted it, but it did highlight a problem that does exist,” said Councillor Jones.

Education portfolio holder Councillor Pete Roberts said: “A working group will be set up looking at the catchments and any unintended consequences of the last review of school transport policy.

“I’m expecting revised catchment maps to be with me in the next couple of weeks.”

He added that this would be the start of the process that would see a report with recommendations for tweaks to the policy.

Councillor Roberts stressed: “There is no restriction on choice of school to apply to – but there is a restriction of what we can provide free transport to.”

Councillors unanimously approved the motion.