Agenda item

To consider an appeal lodged in connection with the provision of assistance for home to school transport.

(This item contains personal information regarding the appellant, which is exempt from publication by virtue of Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972).

The Committee considered an appeal that had been lodged in connection with a decision taken by officers within the Children’s Services Directorate not to provide assistance with home-to-school transport.

Mrs L Rowbottom presented the case on behalf of the Authority.

The Appellant was in attendance at the meeting.

Also in attendance at the meeting were Ms Goodall, Head of Corporate Legal and Miss Burnett, Clerk to the Committee.

The Committee carefully considered all the information submitted by the appellant and the Authority both in writing and verbally at the meeting and took into consideration the family’s recent bereavement and the emotional impact this had caused.

The Committee acknowledged the appellant’s reasons for wanting assistance with home-to-school transport costs, but were mindful that the child was attending a school identified by the appellant as one of two preferred schools, which was located less than the three miles, required to qualify for assistance, from the family home. 

It was also noted that in accordance with the Home to School Transport Policy the distance from the family home was not considered an unreasonable distance for a child to walk unaccompanied to school and had been measured using the shortest safe walking route.

It was noted that transport assistance may be provided where pupils are entitled to free school meals or their parent was in receipt of maximum Universal Credit, but at the time of application, this had not been the case. The Committee was advised that due to the pandemic the appellant’s employment status had recently changed and as a consequence his Universal Credit entitlement was currently being reassessed.

The Committee gave careful regard to the appellant’s circumstances and after carefully considering all the evidence before it, the Appeals Committee was satisfied that the decision not to provide assistance with home to school transport costs was reasonable and made in accordance with the Council’s Home to School and College Transport Policy.

Resolved:

1.      To uphold the officer’s decision not to provide assistance with home to school transport costs on the grounds that the decision was made in accordance with the Council’s Home to School and College Transport Policy and did not consider that there were sufficient special circumstances or considerations to override the policy.

2.      The Committee recommended that the appellant submitted a new application for Home to School Transport assistance, due to the change of circumstances and consideration should be given to making an application for Free School Meals.

Background papers:  Exempt