Agenda item

The Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Environment and Transport regarding revisions to the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Transport Policy and Mainstream Home to School Transport Policy following consultation.  The proposals related to discretionary transport provision for children with SEN or disabilities under the age of 5, young people with SEN aged 16 to 18, and other young people aged 16+.  A copy of the report, marked ‘10’, is filed with these minutes.

 

The Cabinet noted comments of the Environment and Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee and from Mr. S. J. Galton CC, copies of which are filed with these minutes.

 

The Director, in introducing the report, explained that the Chairmen and Spokesmen of the Children and Families and the Adults and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committees had also been involved in the consultation. 

 

Mr. Pain thanked the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Leicestershire Equalities Group in particular for their input.  He said that the changes would enable limited funding to be directed at those most in need, and the inclusion of an exceptions policy should address concerns about Personal Transport Budgets.  Mr. Pain added that not all councils funded discretionary (non-statutory) transport and he was pleased that Leicestershire could continue to do this.

 

Mr. Ould said that he was very much aware of the issues, particularly for children with SEN, and hoped that the amendments to the original proposals resulting from the consultation and the exceptions policy would give some reassurance to those affected by the changes.

 

Comments were also made regarding the need to address the shortfall in the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) which was necessitating some difficult decisions. 

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a)      That the responses to the public consultation on proposed changes to the SEN and Mainstream Home to School Transport Policies be noted;

 

(b)      That the following changes to the above Policies be approved for implementation with effect from September 2019:

 

          (i)       Nursery Transport

 

          A reduction in the exemption, from a 100% discount to a 50% discount for low-income families with an annual contribution of £330 (50% of the current full charge rate) for affected children/families, with the charge being reviewed annually.

 

          (ii)      Post-16 SEN Transport

 

          A reduction in the exemption, from a 100% discount to a 50% discount for low-income families with an annual contribution of £330 (50% of the current full charge rate) for affected children/families, with the charge being reviewed annually.

 

Provision of traditional transport (Council fleet minibuses or taxis) for all eligible children between 16 and 18 removed and replaced with a Personal Transport Budget (PTB) direct payment, noting that

 

•   PTBs will be amended to take account of the low-income “discount” of 50% (i.e., a PTB amount offered will be £330 higher for students from low-income families), and

 

•   Exceptions to the Policy will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

 

          (iii)      Mainstream Post-16 Transport -

 

          Provision of traditional transport (mainly taxis and commercial bus passes) for students removed and the exemption for students from a qualifying low-income background removed, to be replaced with an annual travel grant of £150 for those from a low-income background or living in isolated rural areas.

 

(KEY DECISION)

 

REASONS FOR DECISION:

 

To enable savings to be made to help address the shortfall in the MTFS 2018/19 to 2021/22.  The Council does not have a statutory duty to provide home to school/college transport free of charge to students aged 16-18 (SEN and Mainstream), nor to provide home to nursery transport for children under 5 years with SEN.  With transport costs for all home to school transport continuing to rise, the Council needs to reduce the cost of non-statutory education transport provision.

 

An annual review of the charges for Nursery and Post-16 Transport will help ensure that they are adjusted to reflect transport costs.

 

An exception clause for Post-16 SEN Transport will enable individual circumstances to be accommodated where a PTB would not be appropriate or feasible and traditional transport arrangements need to be maintained.

 

The £150 travel grant will assist those mainstream Post-16 students from low-income backgrounds or living in isolated rural areas with their transport costs.

 

Implementing the changes with effect from September 2019 will give students and their families plenty of notice so that alternative arrangements can be made where necessary.  This also removes the need for any transitional provision to be put in place.