Disabled people ‘picked on’ over home-to-school transport changes
An angry mother has accused the county council of “picking on” people with disabilities after her son’s subsidised transport was withdrawn.
Caroline Hedley, 52, claims she may have to abandon her career to ferry 18-year-old Thomas, who has complex needs and learning disabilities, to and from school.
She is now in the process of appealing her case to Kent County Council (KCC), which has been making changes to travel arrangements for post-16 pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
KCC has argued that national guidance states there is no automatic right to free transport, even over-16s with Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
Mother-of-two Mrs Hedley, who is a solicitor, said: “I think they have picked on the people who are least able to fight back or able to make the case.
“They seem to have tons of money to do repairs to the roads or repair council buildings but not to get disabled children safely to school. I feel their priorities are a little bit twisted.”
Instead of a free minibus ride, the Hedleys have been offered a £4,000 a year personal transport budget (PTB) to find an alternative.
“Whilst £4,000 seems like a good deal for some people or seems like an awful lot of money but actually it’s not when you have to think about getting a disabled person to school,” said Mrs Hedley.
“There are a number of issues with what they’re proposing and it’s upset pretty much all the parents – I don’t think there are any who are in favour of the changes.”
The Bidborough resident added that there was now ”massive stress” on parents “who are already overloaded with dealing with children with additional needs and extra stress for the children who are upset because they don’t know what their arrangements are going to be next year”.
Mrs Hedley said Thomas would not be able to take public transport by himself to his special needs school in Tonbridge and estimates a taxi could cost £250 a week and may be unsafe.
She added: “There is a reason why no one took up the (offer of) PTBs – because it never worked for anyone. I can’t see how it could be more economical or beneficial for KCC.”
Mrs Hedley also warned of queues of extra cars at the school each day.
She makes a contribution towards Thomas’s transport and is willing to pay out more.
Mrs Hedley added: “I would be prepared to pay more because the additional stress and organisation of those taxi rides is worth a lot of money to me. So, I would be prepared to do that but I do know that a lot of other parents would find that really hard.”
If she was to consider driving her son to school it would impact her ability to work as the round trip would take up to two hours daily.
Mrs Hedley added: “I would have to give up my job to take my son to school. There is nothing more ridiculous than that.”
Cllr Mark Ellis (Lib Dem), the KCC member and borough councillor for Bidborough, said there had been a sharp increase in the number of over 16 SEND transport appeals since the rules were amended.
He said: “I’d be calling for a rethink on this – surely there should be a period of grace for people to make up for the loss of the provision. After all, it’s always possible for people to make the adjustments to their day-to-day lives that they need to.
“Removing a minibus, for heaven’s sake, that’s going to be a massive disturbance to the whole family’s lives.”
At one point towards the end of the previous Conservative administration, the annual bill was on course to hit £100 million a year and efforts were already under way to try and reduce the SEND transport cost.
KCC cabinet member for education and skills, Cllr Beverley Fordham (Reform), said: “I understand that changes to post‑16 transport may concern families, especially those supporting young people with SEND.
“National guidance is clear there is no automatic right to free transport after age 16 – even for young people with an EHCP. Local authorities must decide what support is needed.
“These changes followed a public consultation between January and March 2025, with feedback and an Equality Impact Assessment carefully considered.
“Where appropriate, the approach supports young people to build the skills, confidence and independence needed for adult life. Travelling independently, where safe, is an important step towards further education, employment and greater self‑reliance.
“We recognise this will not be suitable for everyone, particularly those with more complex needs, and support will still be considered where necessary.
“Support for learners with SEND remains a priority. Help may be provided where needed to access education, including in exceptional cases, with decisions made case by case and a clear appeals process.
“We know these changes may be difficult for some families and remain committed to helping young people access education.”
SEND education campaigner Katrina Crowhurst, who takes the PTB, said she “completely sympathises” with Mrs Hedley.
She added: “This woman must be really worried about the future and about how her son will cope. Any changes can have a massive impact on children with SEND.”
Last summer, the Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called for a tightening of the home-to-school transport system, including taxi contracts and greater parental responsibility.
Mr Farage asked: “Number one, who’s getting the contracts? Number two, what price are they charging? Number three, how long are the contracts for? Number four, does it give value for money for the taxpayers of Kent?
“Surely it comes down to parental responsibility. There are lots of things to be looked at here. These are ridiculous sums of money.”