A consultation is currently underway to review arrangements to provide school travel support to young people aged 16-18.

The review aims to ensure that the county council funds school/college transport at the right level, whilst supporting those in most need and developing young people’s resilience and ability to travel independently.

The consultation affects students in full-time education and training aged between 16 and 18 and aged up to 19 and beyond 19 if they are continuing on a course started before the age of 19, which also includes learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

Five proposals are being put forward as part of the consultation, which are based on the council’s pledge to support families on low income who need most assistance, particularly those without an alternative funding source.

Justin Donovan, Director of Education and Early Intervention, said: “There remains an ongoing pressure on the county council to reduce its spending.

“We want to ensure that we provide the right level of travel support to those young people who are most in need, so that they can continue to participate in full-time education and training.

“We are therefore consulting on a set of 16-18 proposals. Feedback from the consultation will be considered by the Enterprise, Education & Skills Panel in the autumn. The panel will make recommendations to Cabinet, who will determine the future 16-18 transport policy at their meeting on 13 October 2014. Following this decision, it is expected that a new policy will be published, for implementation from September 2015.”

The county council is committed to promoting sustainable travel – including the offer of the concessionary SaverCard Scheme (which enables young people to gain discounted travel on buses across Hertfordshire) – to a choice of schools and colleges. It is keen to ensure that as many young people as possible plan their travel arrangements, so they can access their school, college or training provider place using sustainable travel.

The consultation runs from 22 April to 21 July 2014.

Parents, carers, young people and schools/colleges of further education are being encouraged to respond to the consultation so that decisions are made based on the needs and opinions of the people affected. Visit www.hertsdirect.org/consultations to have your say.

We will also be holding a number of events across Hertfordshire. For further information, please visitwww.hertsdirect.org/consultations