School transport fees are scrapped

Jun 28 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

THE new Liberal Democrat leaders of Northumberland have kept their promise to axe controversial transport charges for hundreds of A-level and college students in the county.

The £360 annual charge for a bus pass for post-16 students who live more than three miles from their place of study is to be scrapped, five years after the controversial fees were first introduced.

From September, those who currently pay the charge – or have made alternative arrangements for getting to and from their high school or college – will be able to travel free.

Both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives pledged in their recent election manifestos to get rid of the charge, which has been described by campaigners as a tax on rural families and a disincentive for young people to stay on at school after 16.

Now the new Liberal Democrat executive on the county council has agreed to abolish the £360 fee, despite a warning that it could cost the authority an extra £792,000 a year.

Yesterday county council leader Jeff Reid said: “We know that Northumberland residents have felt that scrapping post-16 transport charges was a priority, and we are pleased to have been able to respond to their concerns and do just that.

“It is vitally important that all pupils have fair access to further education in Northumberland. We believe that providing free home-to-school transport for all eligible post-16 students will enhance further education opportunities for all pupils in the county.”

County Hall officials have predicted that the decision could double the number of post-16 students using school buses from 800 to 1,770.

It has been warmly welcomed by Berwick MP Alan Beith and Hexham MP Peter Atkinson, who say the charge is currently excessive and an unfair burden on rural families.

But last night a note of caution was sounded by self-employed contractor Kevin Little of Haltwhistle, a long-standing critic of the council’s handling of the post-16 transport issue. He claims scrapping the charge could add between £1m and £1.3m a year to the already-stretched school transport budget.

He said: “As someone who has campaigned since 2001 against these charges, I should be popping the champagne. However, I am keeping the cork in until I know what the total cost is in the context of the home-to-school transport budget as a whole, and where the extra money is going to come from.

“My fear is that other council services may have to pay for this populist decision.”