Council bosses facing a growing backlash over changes to home-to-school policy say all potential new school bus routes will be safety checked before being used.
Angry parents in the Yorkshire Dales are worried a change in policy will mean their children have to travel over roads which are dangerous due to snow and ice in the winter.
North Yorkshire Council, which in the future will only provide free school transport to a child’s nearest school rather than the previously used catchment school system, has told parents in upper Swaledale their child’s nearest secondary school is in Kirkby Stephen.
Others in neighbouring Arkengarthdale have been advised their nearest school is in Barnard Castle, while families in the Reeth area have been told The Wensleydale School, in Leyburn, is now their closest.
Pupils in these communities have in the past generally travelled along the valley bottom to Richmond.
Now, parents are worried their children will be driven by bus over the B6270 to Kirkby Stephen, the Stang from Arkengarthdale to Barnard Castle or Grinton Moor between Wensleydale and Swaledale, if they want to get free transport to school.
All three roads include high, moorland stretches and are often only passable in winter with a 4×4, if at all.
However, North Yorkshire Council chiefs have this week stressed that all roads will undergo a risk assessment before being included on a school bus route.
North Yorkshire Council says the changes are designed to make home to school transport policy “fair to all families, responsible and affordable”.
Stuart Carlton, the council’s director of children and young people’s services, said the council was facing a £48 million budget shortfall.
He added: “We need to bring the policy in line with revised guidance from the Department for Education to ensure it, and other essential frontline services, are sustainable.
“Providing school transport has become the third-largest expenditure for us at £51 million a year – behind adult social care and waste management – and has more than doubled since 2018/19 when the policy was last reviewed.”
Council chiefs say the policy change also brings the authority in line with neighbouring authorities including, Durham, Darlington and Lancashire.
The change applies to applications for children starting school in September next year.
Pupils from low-income families could still get travel assistance to attend one of their three nearest suitable schools within two to 12 miles.
Mr Carlton added: “We understand the concerns from parents and carers around transporting children and young people to the school of their choice, as well as concerns if siblings will attend different schools due to travel costs.
“However, parents and carers still have a choice as to where to send their children. It is important for them to now factor in travel costs if they choose a school that is not their nearest school.
The officer said the new policy did not directly affect where children go to school.
“That is still the choice of the parent or carer,” he said, adding: “As before, all routes used to take pupils to school will be risk assessed.
“We realise there may be a number of new routes this year.”
The new policy is not due to be reviewed by the authority until 2026, however opposition councillors are hoping it can be debated again in January.
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