NEWS

Help with school transport

Torbay children from low income families are set to get extra help with school transport from Torbay Council under new rules drawn up by Government.

The qualifying distance for school transport will fall from 3 miles to 2 miles and for some pupils of secondary age they will be able to get transport to a choice of schools.

Cllr Anna Tolchard, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, said: "The new law sets out minimum requirements, but we have a range of different schools in the Bay and so we need to devise a policy that suits our local needs, fits within our budget and meets the Government's new rules. Council officers have made some suggestions and we want to hear the views of parents, schools and other stakeholders before we decide our new policy."

The consultation will also ask for views about changes in post 16 transport policy. Cllr Anna Tolchard explained: "At the moment we subsidise transport for students aged between 16 and 19 to attend sixth form or further education college, with the student paying £275 for a year's travel. Some students don't get help at the moment because they attend a sixth form or a college that is not designated to serve their home address.

"We are consulting on whether to change the rules so that it doesn't matter where students attend. This would mean that a post 16 student could get transport to any Torbay sixth form or South Devon College if they live more than 3 miles away. This new policy would support more students therefore we could only implement these changes if we increased the annual cost to £300 as it would cost the council more money. The consultation will help us to understand whether people are prepared to pay higher fares for greater freedom of choice."

The consultation will also ask for views on options for transport to church primary schools, which also need to be brought in line with the new Government rules. Cllr Anna Tolchard continued: "We don't expect this to affect more than a handful of children, since in an urban area like Torbay most children live close to several primary schools, but we do need to make sure we have a policy in case someone needs help."

Consultation begins on Monday 14th January and details of the new policy and how to respond can be found on the council's website: www.torbay.gov.uk/schooltravelsupport. The closing date for the consultation is Friday 15th February and a decision on the content of the new policy will then be taken by Cabinet in March.