Declares that North Yorkshire Council’s recent decision to limit free school transport to the nearest school only is detrimental to rural families; further that it will divide communities, harm local schools and risk children’s safety by requiring travel on remote, often impassable routes; notes that there is no guarantee of significant financial savings; and further declares that councillors should rethink and reverse this damaging policy in the light of the negative impact it will have on the safety and education of children across rural North Yorkshire.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to work with North Yorkshire Council to reallocate funds to reverse the Council’s decision to limit free school transport for pupils to the nearest school to their home address.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Tom Gordon, Official Report, 13 November 2024; Vol. 756, c. 871.]
[P003019]
Observations from the Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell):
Home to school travel is an integral part of the school system, and the Government know how valuable it is for many families. The Department for Education’s home to school travel policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport.
The law requires local authorities to provide free home to school travel for eligible children of compulsory school age, five to 16, who attend their nearest school and cannot walk there due to the distance, route safety, or as a result of their special educational needs, disability or mobility problems. There are additional rights to free travel targeted at low-income families aimed at helping them exercise school choice. In particular, children of secondary school age who are eligible for free school meals may have free travel to one of their three nearest secondary schools, provided it is between two and six miles from their home, or to a school that their parents have chosen on the grounds of their religion or belief that is between two and 15 miles from their home. More information about home to school travel is available in our statutory guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel-and-transport-guidance
Local authorities also have a discretionary power to provide free or subsidised home to school travel for other children, but cannot be required to do so. It is for each local authority to decide whether and how to exercise their discretionary power. The Department for Education cannot seek to influence this, but we know that budget pressures often mean that local authorities have to make difficult decisions to balance the benefits of discretionary travel with other priorities.
The Government appreciate that North Yorkshire Council’s decision to withdraw discretionary travel to a school other than the nearest school is unsettling for many families. However, provided a local authority is complying with their statutory duties, we are unable to become involved in local school transport matters.
The Government are committed to creating opportunities for all children so that they can achieve and thrive and is working with Department officials to understand how well home to school transport supports all children to access educational opportunity.
Most central Government funding for home to school travel is provided through the local government finance settlement administered by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Government recognise the financial challenges that local authorities are facing and have listened to voices across the sector, prioritising local government at the autumn Budget. The Government announced £1.3 billion of new grant funding in financial year 2025-26 for local government to deliver core services, including home to school travel. Together with local income from council tax and business rates, this will provide a real-terms increase in core spending power of around 3.2%.