Comprehensive proposals for the future of school transport for statutory age pupils in Hertfordshire have been launched by Hertfordshire County Council today (18 October).
Driven by the need to reduce the £25 million annual school transport bill, the proposals, if accepted by the county council’s cabinet in March 2011, would affect pupils who currently benefit from free or subsidised school transport.
The proposals, which are open to public consultation online from 18 October 2010 – 26 January 2011, are as follows:
1) That the county council adopts a policy for free home to school transport based only on statutory entitlement* with effect from September 2012.
2) That existing concessions for faith transport and all other discretionary transport would discontinue from September 2012. Other changes relating to eligibility and arrangements for free transport are also proposed.
3) Views are sought on how schools and local communities can manage local home to school transport arrangements.
4) That the SaverCard concessionary scheme currently available to pupils is retained, and an annual minimum charge of £20 per year for new applicants is introduced for those of statutory school age, from September 2012.
Certain groups of children and young people have a legal right to school transport, and these groups will be unaffected by the review.
To have your say, there is an online form on our website at www.hertsdirect.org/csfconsultations, and we are encouraging children and young people to comment through www.channelmogo.org
Paper copies of the response form are available at local libraries or by calling 01438 737350. Five focus group events will be held in the evenings across Hertfordshire at Waltham Cross on December 2, Bushey on December 9, Stevenage on December 14, Hemel Hempstead on January 20 and Hatfield on January 26. To register for a place at these ticket only events, call 01438 737350 between 8am and 8pm from Monday to Friday or 9am to 4pm on Saturdays. Places are limited to sixty for each event.
The consultation ends on January 26, 2011, after which time a number of county council panels will consider the proposals and the views expressed before a final decision is made by the county council’s cabinet on March 21, 2011.