Villagers warn of splitting communities if school transport fund is scrapped

'Changing policy but not school catchment areas isn't rational' argues Curridge parent

PROPOSALS to scrap a transport fund that pays for some pupils to get to school will split communities and be a cost burden rather than a saving.

That was the warning from one Curridge parent who brought a 163-strong petition to parish councillors this month objecting to the proposals.

Consultation has now ended for West Berkshire Council proposals to remove a discretionary transport fund that pays for transport for some pupils attending their catchment school that is not their nearest school.

The results of the consultation are now being considered by the council and, if approved, the fund would cease from September 2016.

Chieveley Parish Council added its voice to opposition to scrap the policy recently, and voted its objection after hearing concerns from many local villagers in the area.

Parish council chairman Rob Crispin said that the plan was “a completely stupid and unnecessary proposal” and that the parish council supported the concerns of residents unanimously.

Mother-of-two children Jane Sirs, who presented the petition to West Berkshire Council, said that there was a strong feeling in the community against the changes.

She said: “I understand the need to save money, but there are lots of reasons to object to the council proposal.

“Changing the transport policy and not changing the school catchment areas makes no sense at all and isn’t rational.

“Just because we are the furthest away from our catchment school, we are being singled out and penalised. It’s not fair or equitable.

“Curridge, Chieveley and Hermitage students make up more than half the students affected. So I hope that we have a big say in this consultation.”

In a letter to West Berkshire Council, she said that if the planned changes went ahead it would present a difficult scenario for parents, with some children having to be moved between The Downs and Trinity schools, potentially splitting village communities.

She added that the cost savings were uncertain, that it would lead to an imbalance in the pupil numbers at schools and could force more parents to drive along narrow, winding rural roads at peak times.

A similar policy was adopted by Essex County Council earlier this year and since then the council has faced a backlash from many local villagers – attracting a petition signed by more than 1,000 people.

One resident from the area, James Bridges, said that the policy had been a disaster for rural families there.

He told the : “In my village, my daughter and her three friends who live within a short walk of each other, are each eligible for transport to a different school and none of the schools is our traditional catchment area school.

“This has left parents in an impossible position. Do we tear up our children’s social group and send the girls to three different schools that we know nothing about, or do we pay £4 a day – £760 a year that we cannot afford for each child – to send them on the previously free school bus?

“It has been a disaster for many villages in Essex and I fear will have the same impact in West Berkshire.”

When asked about the fresh concerns West Berkshire Council said that it was unable to comment further.

Spokeswoman Peta Stoddart-Crompton said: “The consultation has now closed.

“However, no decisions will be made until September, so we are not yet in a position to comment.”