Councillor criticises decision to withdraw home to school funding for some families
Parents have received letters from Telford & Wrekin Council informing them that they will no longer receive assisted travel funding for their child to attend a designated religious school, a councillor has said.
Councillor Stephen Burrell said that some parents are only just discovering that Telford & Wrekin Council is withdrawing their funding for denominational home to school transfer, which was approved in March as part of this year’s budget.
He said: “I’m speaking in terms of eight members at least of families in my ward, Edgmond, who have been in touch. They have just received, within the last two weeks, methods of communication through letters and email from the local authority to let them know that they will no longer be in a position to receive assisted funding travel for their children’s school journey to and from Holy Trinity in Priorslee.”
Councillor Burrell asked the cabinet member for education, Councillor Eileen Callear, why it has taken between four and eight months to let residents know about the impact of the budget decisions.
He added: “Residents have been so badly affected in this time of inflationary pressure and now may well not be able to get children to their school of choice.”
Councillor Callear said that she was unable to comment on individual cases without having the full details from the council’s officers but said she would ‘look into that’ and get Councillor Burrell a response.
She added: “It is very difficult. Our pre-2016 transport budget was £3.6million and our post-2016 budget is £445,000 and we all know the financial pressure on this council due to the massive cuts from the Conservative government.”
She said that the current home to school transport policy had been in place since 2020.
There were no statutory duties to provide free travel assistance for children that attend a school with a designated religious character, she said.
“However, the council does apply some discretion and where families are on a low-income children who attend a school on grounds of religion and where there is no nearer suitable school, then they are eligible for assistance if they live over the statutory walking distance. Our policy given it follows the national statutory guidance is in line with the majority of most other local authorities.
“The council has introduced new subsidised bus routes which have been specifically designed around school start and finish times. These new bus routes have greatly benefitted the communities that they serve and further assist children’s travel to and from school.”
