Laura has been told she will not be offered free transport to Helmsley Primary School, which her eldest daughter already attends, and is challenging the decision.At the heart of her case is the way North Yorkshire Council calculates a child’s nearest suitable school using the shortest available walking route.
And like everything councils do, it’s based on the easiest option.
Laura believes the approach simply does not work for isolated rural communities.
Well, you chose to live in one, were you unprepared for the inevitable downside?
“I understand that in an urban area, in towns and cities, the shortest available walking route probably works, and it probably works really well,” she said. “But I think for rural areas like where we are, it’s just not fit for purpose.” She says the route being used in her daughter's case crosses challenging moorland.
’Challenging moorland’? Your kid is walking to school, not delivering jewellery to a Dark Lord accompanied by your gardener!
“In winter you’ve got the snow, and it is a grouse moor, so during shooting season you’ve got people up there shooting and in summer there's adders — and you’re expecting a four-year-old to walk up there.“Even with an adult, I still don’t think it’s safe. You just wouldn’t do it. Surely it’s a welfare issue.”
And in urban environments she’d have to deal with diverse youth machete fights, loose bloodsport dogs, road traffic (probably equally diverse and thus unlicensed) and peadophiles. I’d take the adders any day. And grouse shooters will be aiming a little too high to bother a four-year-old.
Her experience is one of a number being highlighted by campaign group STAG as North Yorkshire Council continues to implement its revised home-to-school transport policy, which it introduced in a bid to reduce its annual school transport bill of more than £52m.
52mil? What are they using, Lamborghinis?
Good grief. Remember long ago used to be judged by a circle of 3 miles radius being placed on a map of the school and if you were inside it tough. If the actual route was more than 3 miles then you had to walk or cough up for any bus/train fares. I was just inside the 3 mile circle and if it rained or snowed hard luck or walk out of your way to get a bus, pay, and still get wet.
ReplyDeleteThere could be a lot of Lamborghinis in the area, as they make tractors - at least they did originally.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Enzo Ferrari rubbish their cars because the firm was making tractors?