Consultation on the Provision of Transport by Leicestershire County Council

• Consultation Period 2nd March - 4th May 2007
• Transport to Faith Schools
• Post-16 Transport Provision
• Minimum Fare-Paying Charge
• Why Changes are Necessary
• What Happens Next?
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• The County Council currently spends £9 million each year on home to school transport.
• £7 million of this cost is met by the Council Taxpayer.
• It costs an average £585 each year from Council Tax to provide transport for each student below the age of 16 to a faith school.
• It costs an average £426 each year from Council Tax to provide transport for each student over 16 to school.
• The Council Taxpayers’ subsidy for home to school transport in Leicestershire is higher than in many other areas.
• The County Council is committed to keep Council Tax at a low level.
• The County Council is therefore consulting on proposals to increase or introduce charges for home to school transport.
• The County Council is not removing home to school transport.
• Families on low incomes will be exempt from any charge for transport to faith schools for students below the age of 16.
• The proposals are for transport to faith schools, transport for students aged 16+ (known as post 16) and in regard to minimum fares.
• If the proposals are approved after consultation, the County Council plans to reinvest some of the income to provide security on school buses and travel vouchers to encourage young people to use public transport, for example to leisure facilities and at times which suit them.

The current arrangements are:

• there is no charge made for transport to faith schools up to the age of 16. The average cost is £585 per student per year.
• a £60 charge is made for post 16 transport to all schools. The average cost is £426 per student per year.

• introduce a new charge for post 16 transport of £180 from September 2007 and £240 from September 2008.
• introduce a charge for transport to faith schools of £240 per student from September 2008.
• introduce a minimum fare-paying charge of £180 from September 2007 and £240 from September 2008 for students who currently pay for using spare places on school transport.

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We would like your views on these proposals and are consulting a wide range of people who may have an interest, including parents of children attending Leicestershire schools and faith schools outside the County, schools, governors and transport operators, as well as Council Taxpayers.

The County Council provides free transport to the nearest suitable school where the student lives more than 2 miles (primary) or 3 miles (secondary) from the school. In Leicestershire this applies to the catchment area school or a school nearer to the home address. We also currently provide free transport to faith schools as long as the student is of the same religious denomination as the school. (Again, the 2 mile and 3 mile distances apply.) However, there is no requirement to provide free transport to faith schools on denominational grounds.

Leicestershire County Council currently spends £936,000 per year transporting about 1600 students, who receive free transport, to faith schools. The average cost of providing denominational transport in Leicestershire is therefore about £585 per student.  

Leicestershire County Council continues to recognise and support faith schools as providers of high educational standards and pastoral care for the students in their charge. However, the costs to Council Taxpayers of providing transport have to be borne in mind. An increasing number of Councils are now introducing a charge for parents to contribute towards the cost to allow the service to be retained. Some Councils are withdrawing transport to faith schools.

Leicestershire County Council is proposing to continue free transport for students to faith schools in the following circumstances:

• for families on a low income. Families entitled to free school meals for their children, or in receipt of the maximum level of Working Tax Credit, will continue to receive free transport providing they are attending the school on bona fide denominational grounds; and/or  
   
• if it is the nearest school to the home and is more than 2 miles (primary) or 3 miles (secondary) from the home.

The new policy would also apply to students resident in Leicestershire who attend faith schools outside the County.

Students who attend faith schools, but who are not of the same denomination as the school, would not qualify for transport assistance; this is no change from the current policy.

For students over compulsory school age, transport is provided:

• an alternative school/college where the chosen course is not available at the above.
   
• a school chosen on bona fide denominational grounds.
   
• We currently charge £60 per year for this transport.

We are proposing to increase the annual charge from £60 to £180 per year from September 2007, rising to £240 per year from September 2008 for all eligible students.

As with denominational transport this still represents a significant subsidy by the Council Taxpayer of £186 per student per year.

There is no proposal for students from families on a low income to be exempt from the charge. This is because the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available to students aged 16-19 who are in full-time education or training and is intended to help with associated costs, including transport. It is paid on a sliding scale up to a maximum of £30 per week and is available to those who live in households with an income below £30,800.  

If there is room, we currently offer spare places on school buses to those students who are not entitled to free school transport. We charge 17.5 pence per mile for this service.

We are proposing to introduce a minimum fare-paying charge in line with the other proposed charges, i.e. £180 for September 2007 and £240 for September 2008.

This proposal would ensure that these pupils pay a charge which is consistent with other charges which would be made under these proposals.

County Council services are funded through a combination of Government grant and Council Tax. We receive poor funding from central government: 18 per cent less per head of population than the average County Council.  

Next year the increase in our Government grant will be less than one per cent, which is much less than the rise in the cost of providing services. Despite this, we are determined to continue to provide the highest standard of services possible.

To make good the shortfall in Government grant, savings will have to be made. Most of these will come from improving efficiency, but some increases in charges and reductions in services are required. Mainstream home to school transport costs are high (£9 million per annum), and mostly outside the control of the Council.

In all these circumstances, the County Council believes that consultation on increasing charges is justified.  

The County Council is determined to make the best use of public and subsidised transport between home and school. We believe that most parents can reasonably be expected to contribute to the cost. Other local authorities have completely withdrawn transport to faith schools; this course of action may increase car use, so is not being considered in Leicestershire.

The consultation period is shorter than our preferred period of 12 weeks because of the need to collate and summarise the responses which will then be considered by the County Council’s Cabinet in June. At this meeting elected members will consider what, if any, changes should be made to the policy, which would be in time to implement some changes in September 2007 and for inclusion in the school admissions arrangements for 2008/09.