Campaigners have called on North Yorkshire Council to change its consultation on home-to-school transport amid concerns it risks becoming a “tick-box exercise”.
The School Transport Action Group (STAG) has written to the council asking for an open-ended question to be added so parents, schools and other residents can give their wider views on the controversial transport policy.
The group has also expressed “deep disappointment” with the post-implementation review (PIR) of the policy, claiming the changes now being consulted on fail to address its fundamental problems.
The council changed its policy to only provide free transport to a child’s nearest school in 2024 in a bid to reduce an annual school transport bill of more than £52m.
Its review has now resulted in 24 recommendations, with the new consultation focusing on seven proposed changes which will ultimately be considered by full council.
In a letter sent on behalf of STAG’s steering group, Ian Dawson said campaigners had initially been willing to believe the review would identify what had gone wrong and find ways of resolving the problems.
However, he said the group now believed the policy required a “wholesale rethink, rather than a patch-up job”.
STAG disputes the financial case for the policy and claims there is no clear evidence the anticipated savings have been achieved.
The group also argues that insufficient consideration has been given to its own financial analysis, which it says indicates retaining the nearest-school-only eligibility model could cost more than the previous system under which free transport was available to either the nearest or catchment school.
Attention has now turned to the council’s public consultation on proposed changes arising from the PIR.
STAG claims some of the questions are misleading and says there is no opportunity for respondents to give unrestricted feedback about the wider home-to-school transport service.
Mr Dawson said: “The council says this is an opportunity for people to ‘have their say’.”
“If that is genuinely the purpose of the consultation, then there needs to be an open question allowing respondents to give an unrestricted view of the service.”
STAG has asked the council to add the question: “Please share any other comments or thoughts you would like to make about how the home-to-school transport services are being delivered across North Yorkshire.”
The group added: “Without an open question of this kind, the consultation risks becoming little more than a tick-box exercise.
“That would undermine the credibility of the consultation and, frankly, waste both council time and public money – money that could instead be spent helping rural children get to school.”
STAG also criticised the scrutiny given to the PIR, claiming none of the 15 Conservative councillors it says were present at last week’s scrutiny meeting asked questions about the review.
It said it intends to raise separate concerns about the handling of a motion calling for the restoration of catchment-based eligibility with the committee chair and the council’s head of democratic services.
In response to the criticism, a North Yorkshire Council spokesperson said: “Anyone wishing to express their views to shape the future of the council’s home-to-school travel policy is encouraged to take part in the consultation which runs until November 4.”
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