Suffolk County Council is planning to scrap some home-to-school services to cut £3m from the £21m transport budget.
Along with the previous ‘wholesale change’ where services only required by law would be provided, are two new plans: Finding savings from elsewhere, or keep providing free transport for those who already receive it, but not for new starters. The consultation will restart next month.
It would cost SCC £8.8m over the four years from September 2019, when the proposals would be implemented.
Jack Abbott, Labour’s education spokesman, says: “The bottom line is, this is a cut which is going to have to be met somewhere, and parents or schools are going to have to fork out. That’s a real concern. Schools are already under budget constraints. Are they going to have to look at things like breakfast clubs? Are parents going to have to change working hours to make this affordable?
“We need new ideas to meet this growing demand. We need a solution that works.”
The proposals include 12 ‘local solutions’ to tailor travel needs, such as staggering school opening times so one bus could serve two, and using larger vehicles, such as one minibus instead of four taxis.
Currently, around 2,400 students receive free or subsidised travel to schools or post-16 providers which SCC is not legally required to provide. Around 2,400 children get free travel to schools further away than legally required.
