Parents and opposition councillors have hit out at a council’s “appalling communication” over the introduction of new school bus passes following a change in policy.
The criticism is the latest directed at North Yorkshire Council over its introduction of new home-to-school rules that mean pupils get free transport to their nearest school rather than their catchment school.
The change in policy means hundreds of parents now have to spend almost £800 on a bus pass if they want their child to go to their catchment school, which is not the nearest to their home.
But parents say the council has still not revealed how or when they can apply for a bus pass for September, despite telling parents they will be issued on a ‘first come, first served ‘ basis.
They are also concerned that the council could withdraw the pass at just a week’s notice.
Rachael Berry, who lives at Bank Newton near Skipton, said:
“I’m still reeling from the fact that my daughter’s right to a free place and guaranteed seat on the school bus that runs from here to Skipton is expected to be removed due to the new policy.
“Now it seems that even the chance of getting her a paid-for seat on it is going to be totally hit and miss.
“Restricting access to these bus services will lead to parts of our county becoming less viable places for young families to live.”
Mrs Berry added:
“The council has said that parents whose children have been given access to free school transport will be informed on or before May 30.
“However, they currently have no plans to communicate with families who have not qualified. Apparently, they expect parents to ring and find that information out for themselves."
She added:
“After weeks of trying to get some clarity on the process, I have finally been told that the process will open ‘at some point in early May’, but how many other parents know that?
"Surely the onus should be on the council to communicate this vital information to everyone who may be impacted so spaces are allocated fairly – particularly when passes are allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
“The fact that they have failed to do that means some families are going to be left in the lurch through no fault of their own. The communication from the council has been appalling.”
Leader of the opposition at North Yorkshire Council, Liberal Democrat councillor, Bryn Griffiths, said there had been an “appalling lack of joined-up thinking” over the issue.
“The whole thing appears to have been a total shambles from start to finish, and families are being left to pick up the pieces.
"This needs fixing, fast.”
The council has agreed to a request from opposition councillors to hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss reinstating the previous home-to-school transport.
The meeting will take place at County Hall in Northallerton on May 21.
North Yorkshire Council did not respond to a request from the Local Democracy Reporting Service for a response to the criticism from parents and councillors.
The policy change was agreed in July last year in a bid to reduce the authority’s £50m annual bill for home-to-school transport.
Mrs Berry told Your Skipton:
"As a direct consequence of this policy, families in Thornton-in-Craven, West Marton, East Marton, and specific areas of Elslack will no longer qualify for transport to Skipton and will instead be directed to a non-catchment school in Barnoldswick. This change means that families can no longer secure both a place at their catchment school in Skipton and free transport, placing additional financial burdens on them.
"Broughton, situated along the A59 route, will still have transport available to Skipton, but this service is limited to students attending The Skipton Academy. The rationale behind this limitation is that the academy is technically closer “by footpath” than the grammar schools. However, it is noteworthy that children enrolled in all three Skipton schools currently share the same bus on the A59."
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