The Liberal Democrats at county hall have called on the Tory controlled county council not to abandon home to school transport.

Lib Dem spokesperson on Children, Schools and Families Ron Tindall said: ‘We quite understand that the county council must look for savings and that the current provision is greater than the statutory minimum.

‘Nevertheless, a great deal of parents and children rely on the current system to get to and from school. If is is reduced to the legal minimum, there will be more cars on the roads and more people using expensive bus services.

‘We propose that the county council retain a central buying function into which schools could opt: schools could either pay for the service out of their own resources or arrange for parents to contribute financially.

‘The advantages of this new approach are:

• the current purchasing power of the county council is maintained, thus driving down the prices that the bus companies might otherwise charge
• schools get a clear say over what sorts of services are provided
• parents get a better financial deal than they would do if the school transport system is taken away entirely
• our roads don’t become even more crowded with cars taking children to school
• it meets the county’s need to make savings

He added: ‘We look forward to hearing from parents of their views on these proposals – and any other suggestions they may have for modernising the school transport system.’