Cheshire East Council is proposing a number of changes to its school transport policies.
The revised policies will reflect updated Department of Education “Travel to school for children of compulsory school age” guidance. They are also looking at how they can simplify their processes for the mutual benefit of both the council and its residents.
Reasons for the proposed changes
Free travel to school is a valuable service for many families, but budget pressures mean that the council often has to make difficult decisions about how to make best use of the limited resources available to them. The council must comply with their duty to arrange free travel for eligible children, but it has some discretion in how they do this.
Like many councils across the country, Cheshire East Council currently spends a significant amount of its budget on providing transport for children and young people. As these costs are expected to continue to rise, it will adversely affect the level of service we are able to provide to children and their families. Many school travel charges have not been reviewed or been subject to inflationary increases since 2018.
Therefore, changes are required to enable the council to continue to deliver its statutory duties in a cost-effective manner. They have already made some changes, including increasing the value of the personal travel budget and simplifying the process for parents who choose to take this option. This increase has been positively received by parent/carers.
To give feedback on the proposed changes to school travel policies you can:
Complete the online survey at School Travel Policy Consultation 2023 (cheshireeast.gov.uk)
Email randc@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Write to Research and Consultation Team, Westfields, Middlewich Road, Sandbach, CW11 1HZ
Call 0300 123 55 00
The consultation will close on 22 December 2023.