Newcastle SEND travel cuts
Controversial cuts to free school transport in Newcastle for some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have been dropped for a second time.
Newcastle City Council had been expected to sign off plans to end its universal home to school SEND travel provision for young people aged 16 and over.
The “discriminatory” proposals had sparked an outcry among parents, who warned that the move would add to struggling families’ burdens and risk some vulnerable youngsters being unable to continue in their education.
After originally being put on hold a year ago amid those concerns, the cuts have now been unexpectedly pulled again.
Labour council leader Karen Kilgour told a cabinet meeting that her administration had “listened” to families and now decided to withdraw the changes.
The local authority had argued previously that it could no longer afford the post-16 service, which cost £1.5 million in 2024/25 to support more than 200 pupils.
While councils are required by law to offer free home to school transport to all eligible children and young people with SEND who are aged five to 16, there is no such legal duty after the end of the academic year in which a young person reaches 16.
Instead, Newcastle City Council had proposed offering grants to support some parents and carers with the cost of arranging transport themselves, as well as providing more independent travel training to learners able to use public transport.
Coun Kilgour said after Monday’s meeting: “Families told us how vital this support is and we have acted. This is not just about transport, it is about opportunity, independence and fairness. Labour in Newcastle will always protect those who need support and stand up for our young people. We will also continue to help young people become as independent as possible, offering training and support where it is appropriate and in line with each person’s ability, so they can travel safely and confidently if and when the time is right for them.”
A report to the cabinet meeting had warned it was “not financially viable” to continue with the post-16 travel offer and that SEND transport accounted for 10% of an estimated £30 million of budget pressures at the Civic Centre.
But Lesley Story, Labour’s cabinet member for children and families, called the service a “moral imperative”.
She added: “Hearing directly from families and young people was incredibly moving. The stories they shared made clear how important this service is, and we knew we had to act.”
Speaking ahead of Monday’s U-turn, mum Amberlie Wood-Burton told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that parents were “disgusted” by the planned cuts that would “massively affect our children and their education”.
She added: “As parents of vulnerable children we have no voice, as usual.”
Fellow mother Amy Hutton, from Blucher, said she feared that the cuts could result in some parents being forced to leave their jobs in order to transport children to school themselves.
Amy said: “I still don’t see how the council can do this when these young people need to be in education.”
Colin Ferguson, leader of the council’s Liberal Democrat opposition, said it was a “scandal that the proposal to axe funding has been brought and withdrawn twice, if Labour claim preserving the service is a priority for them”.
Coun Ferguson added: “My thoughts are with the families who have been subjected to concern and worry for two years as Labour have dithered and dragged their feet over what to do to support our city’s post-16 SEND learners. I’m appalled by what has happened tonight.”