North Yorkshire campaigners vow to continue fight against transport policy
The new policy means children only get free transport to their nearest school
Campaigners in North Yorkshire say they won't give up their fight against controversial changes to school transport.
The new policy means pupils are offered a free bus to their nearest school rather than using catchment areas.
Charlotte Poran lives in Kirk Hammerton. She says it'll cost almost £800 a year for her daughter to travel to her chosen secondary - a journey her older brother already does for free.
That means she's considering driving them both into school:
"Obviously from an environmental point of view isn't great. It's putting more cars on the road. There's already congestion around the school at drop off and pick up times, and then what do I do? Do I let my son get on the bus and then drive my daughter? Or do I take my son off the bus and drive both of them?
"I can apply for a paid place on the bus, so that they would sell me a place on the bus which is going anyway, so that would cost me nearly £800 a year for a bus that's going anyway with her brother on to her catchment school."
"I can't tell you how stressful it was. I mean applying for a high school place was meant to be easy. You know, we already had a child at his catchment school, and so we thought it was just wasn't going to be a decision, we just thought we'd apply and she'd get a place and she'd be getting on the bus and we thought we'd done all the decision making two years ago."
What do the Council say?
North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for inclusion, Amanda Newbold, said:
“We understand parents’ concerns, but with severe budget pressures and a £14 million Government funding cut, tough choices are necessary. We can only fund transport to the nearest school, ensuring we manage escalating costs while retaining targeted support for the families and pupils who need it most.
“Parents and carers still have a choice as to where to send their children to school. It is important for parents to factor in travel costs if they choose a school that is not their nearest. The new policy does not directly affect where children go to school – that is still the choice of the parent or carer and the admissions process is unaffected by the change.
“The new policy is fairer to all families and brings us in line with many other councils. Unfortunately, a more generous offer is no longer an option.”