Cornwall Council bid to discuss school transport changes in private slammed

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 8 Oct, 18:19 · Archive

Cornwall Council officers sought to discuss changes to school transport policy in private, citing financial implications, but councillors rejected the move.

Cornwall Council officers attempted to hold a private discussion about changes to home-to-school and post-16 travel policy at a scrutiny committee meeting on 7 October, citing financial implications. The council wanted to exclude the press and public, but councillors rejected this approach. Committee chair Cllr Kate Ewert said the meeting was 'nothing short of a farce', arguing that while the matter was politically sensitive, it was not commercially sensitive and should be discussed publicly. Councillors prevailed, though only after the meeting was adjourned to allow officers to revise their presentation.

The review of the home-to-school travel policy, which costs the council millions, could include significant changes. Future options under consideration include replacing individual taxi trips with shared transport, replacing door-to-door provision with designated pick-up points where appropriate, and replacing long distance travel across the county with more local provision. The council is also considering moving to a 'nearest suitable schools' policy rather than allowing parents to choose their preferred schools for their children.

How it is being reported

• Cornwall school transport changes could include shared rides and pick-up pointsA bid by council officers to have a discussion held in private about probable changes to home-to-school transport in Cornwall has been slammed as “nothing short of a farce”.Falmouth Packet · 8 Oct, 17:54
• Bid to hold Cornwall Council meeting into changes to school transport in private is slammed as 'farce'Cornwall Council may overhaul parts of its school travel policy to save money - including parents' losing school choices for their children - but officers were slammed for trying to discuss something that will 'impact families' in privateCornwallLive · 8 Oct, 16:38

In this story: Cornwall Council · Cllr Kate Ewert · Cornwall

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