A ‘CRUEL’ Victorian style shake-up of school transport in Warwickshire has been slammed.
Warwickshire County Council (WCC) leader George Finch is seeking to remove free school transport for some pupils by narrowing the eligibility criteria.
Under current government rules, children under eight are eligible for free travel to their nearest suitable school if more than two miles from their home, with children aged eight and above eligible if the distance is more than three miles.
Coun Finch has written to education secretary Bridget Phillipson seeking permission to revise the rules by allowing Reform-led WCC to extend distances by two miles for each of the age categories, saving money in the process.
Rugby MP John Slinger branded the proposal ‘Victorian’.
He said: “I’m all for encouraging families to walk or cycle to school where safe and appropriate, but to change the distance from three to five miles is ridiculous, potentially dangerous and places families in a very difficult position.
“It is the equivalent of expecting a child to walk from the village of Pailton to Avon Valley School, which is roughly five miles.
“This would be very risky regarding the child’s safety and health, because while physical exercise is a good thing, turning up to school cold and wet after an hour and a half of walking is certainly not.
“This is without considering the impact on families with more than one child in more than one school.
“My constituents deserve better from this Reform-run county council. I wonder what other ill-thought-out policies Coun Finch has up his sleeve. It’s clear: vote Reform, get chaos.”
Stratford MP Manuela Perteghella called the proposal ‘cruel, short-sighted and completely out of touch’.
She added: “The answer isn’t to make children walk further in the rain next to busy roads, it’s to properly fund councils so they can deliver safe, reliable school transport.”
Jerry Roodhouse, WCC’s Liberal Democrat Group leader added: “The Reform administration at Warwickshire County Council led by Coun Finch need to reconsider this proposal.
“Reform are prioritising money over child safety. This initiative will create anxiety for parents, particularly those who work or who do not have alternative transport.”
WCC is running a seven week public consultation on the Home to School Transport Policy until Monday December 22. Visit https://ask.warwickshire.gov.uk/ to take part.
Coun Finch refused to comment on the criticism when contacted by The Observer.
