Issue - meetings

A report outlining the changes and clarifications being proposed to the application process and policy following a recent internal review and public consultation.

Councillor Jan Matecki introduced the report which outlined changes to the Home to School Transport application process and Home to School and College Transport Policy.

Councillor Matecki explained that an internal review had taken place to look at streamlining the service which currently transported 2000 students throughout the County, per day.  This was at a cost of £18 million and public consultation took place between November 2022 and March 2023 to consider the proposals.  One of the changes enabled parents and carers to apply for transport at the same time as they applied for the school place, providing officers with more time to undertake the necessary assessments and look at the options available.  He also outlined a number of other changes including reviewing who needed transport and providing parents and carers with the option of transporting their own child and receiving a Direct Travel Payment in return.

Councillor Matecki advised that recommendation 2 in the report needed to be amended to refer to Appendix 4 and not section 1.12 of the report.

Having received no questions, Councillor Matecki proposed the recommendations as amended.

Resolved

That Cabinet

1)    endorses the proposed change to the Home to School Transport application process as set out at paragraph 1.7; and

approves the proposed changes to the wording in the Home to School and College Transport Policy as set out at Appendix 4.