Suffolk County Council School Transport Consultation closes on 28th February

Proposals to reduce eligibility for free school transport in Suffolk will adversely affect students 5-18 - and their families. Have your say!

+++++The proposed changes have the potential to bring hardship - especially in rural areas: loss of choice; a postcode lottery for places and courses; potentially the splitting of siblings between schools. It will also put a lot more cars on the roads round our schools - with predictable effects on speed, safety, air-quality, and quality of life." says Lib Dem County Councillor for Woodbridge, Caroline Page.

"The move is driven by Suffolk County Council's pressing need to make savings (read 'cuts') of up to £300,000. ---However the administration cannot point to any evidence that they can achieve any savings at al".

"Their rationale? The need is pressing because the administration have plumed themselves on capping council tax for 7 years. You get what you vote for - in this case, services pared to the bone"".


"My recent questions as to the impact on these proposed cuts - which will unfairly affect rural students attending state schools - have met with the same answer: "Parents need to respond to the consultation."
Parents? - The impact of these proposals will be far-ranging and the consequences and unintended consequences will impact on whole communities. Not only parents, but schools, parishes, towns,
 I have been raising awareness of this for some months. I have spoken in Cabinet and full council on the matter; I've blogged, re-blogged, written to the EADT, written to Farlingaye HS to ask it to get the message out, and reported to your town councillors asking them to do the same".


Why should local & national government ideology on tax make free school transport a rural problem? Few London students live 3 miles from school (the maximum distance a Suffolk over-8 yo is expected to walk before entitled to free school transport). Yet London children and young people get free transport by right. Our Suffolk young people should be entitled to no less!

Now a direct plea from me: please, if you are parent, guardian, student, school, teacher, resident, elected representative - respond to this consultation NOW - and then pass the information on...

Ask your councillors if they have responded - and if not, why not? Otherwise you will have missed your chance to contribute to what happens.

The consultation is here: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/consultations-petitions-and-elections/consultations/school-and-post-16-travel-consultation/

Consultation closing on 28th February 2018