Hartlepool leaders writing to Government demanding better home-to-school transport for children

Councillors want talks to be held with interested parties about providing support for families who do not currently qualify for free school transport but are nevertheless struggling with the financial costs of getting their children to school.

Parties would include the Tees Valley Combined Authority, Academy Trusts, the Diocese and more.

The demands were set out in a motion presented to Hartlepool Borough Council from the authority’s Labour Group calling for an exploration of other avenues to improve and expand travel support across all schools in the town.

The motion also called for the council to write to the Secretary of State asking for the mileage limit for free transport for eligible pupils to be reviewed and reduced as they feel the present distances are ‘unrealistic and potentially dangerous’.

Currently free transport has to be provided for children who live further than two miles from their nearest primary school and three miles from their nearest secondary, according to national legislation.

Councillors from across all political parties backed the motion, which was raised by Cllr Brenda Harrison.

She said: “I think at the moment there is an unfairness, if you go to one school you might do better than going to another, so I do think there’s an unfairness and we should try and make it fairer.

“I’m certainly not suggesting any more financial burden is put on the council, but as a local authority we ask other interested parties to join us in debate to try and get for the town and for the families in our town the best outcome we possibly can.”

Conservative Cllr Mike Young, deputy leader of the council, backed and commended the Labour Party on the motion.

He said: “It’s a really well worked out motion, young people and families do see things hit them in different ways.

“We do need to challenge the Government particularly when it comes to fairness.”

Cllr Amy Prince noted how ‘hundreds’ of children across the town are adversely impacted by the present mileage limits for free school transport and called for change.

She said: “I’m hoping we as a council can work together to lobby to change things for the future, because it’s not acceptable for our kids to be walking in the pouring rain for nearly an hour to get to school.”

Cllr Marjorie James, Socialist Labour Party representative, noted the current two and three mile limits are for ‘as the crow flies’ and this needs to be amended to the safest walking route.

She said: “We need to lobby the Government to change that within the legislation, even if it stayed at two miles and three miles as the appropriate distance, it should be the most appropriate safe walking route, and if that’s over two miles or three miles the child should be assisted in transport.”

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