Statement from local Conservative County Councillors on the withdrawal of home-to-school transport.
"We are deeply concerned about the decision by Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Councillors on Oxfordshire County Council to withdraw home-to-school transport for hundreds of secondary school children.
The county’s ‘Spare Seats’ scheme which enables families to purchase a spare seat on busses that take children eligible for Local Authority-funded transport to and from school has been a reliable public service for over 35 years. Now, nearly 10 school transport routes in rural areas are to be cancelled without consultation with parents from September 2023.
The decision to remove this vital provision will affect the 1-WA17 route serving the Warriner School in Bloxham and the 2-ML05 route through the Heyfords to the Marlborough CoE School in Woodstock this autumn. Over the medium term, we calculate that almost 1500 students across the county will be impacted as further school bus contracts come up for review.
Oxfordshire County Council is defending its decision on the basis that it has no legal obligation to operate the scheme and that the Council will incur a financial cost once bus routes are retendered. The Council has also stated that the continuation of Spare Seats reinforces “children travelling to schools further away than their nearest school”.
We strongly disagree with the administration’s justifications for the following reasons:
Financial grounds: parents whose children use the Spare Seats scheme pay for the service at no cost to taxpayers. We understand that parents have been given no indication as to how much fares would need to increase by in order for the service to continue to be cost-neutral, nor asked if they would be willing to pay.
Child safety: most families affected by this decision live in villages where the school is simply too far for children to walk. In many cases, no safe walking or cycling routes exist. It is unacceptable that the Council is compromising the safety of children in this way.
Personal choice: Left-wing Councillors have long stood against the Conservatives’ academisation programme, which gives parents and pupils a choice over where they go to school. In a blatant attack on personal choice, the Council has now seemingly wrenched this service from parents in what we consider an ideological attempt to move children away from their preferred schools towards those nearest their family homes.
Environmental concerns: Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Councillors have pledged to reduce car journeys in the county by 25% over the next decade. The withdrawal of Spare Seats directly flies in the face of this and will contribute not only to a rise in local carbon emissions but also to an increase in congestion around our already-busy schools.
We share parents' disappointment and exasperation at this decision. We have been actively questioning the administration’s rationale and will continue to oppose this absurd move on behalf of affected parents and pupils."
Councillor Eddie Reeves - Calthorpe Division
Councillor Tony Ilott - Hardwick Divsion
Councillor Donna Ford - Bicester North Division
Councillor Michael Waine - Bicester Town Division
Councillor Kieron Mallon - Bloxham and Easington Division
Councillor Arash Fatemian - Deddington Division
Councillor Ian Corkin - Ploughley Division
Councillor George Reynolds - Wroxton and Hook Norton Division
