Agenda item

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Environment and Transport, the purpose of which was to provide an update on the performance and delivery of Special Educational Needs (SEN) Transport for the 2023/24 academic year.  The report also provided a summary of the next steps to be taken by the service over the next 12 months.  A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 9’ is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were made:

(i)               Members acknowledged the challenges faced by the Service and the limited ability to plan ahead when demand continued to grow so quickly.  Members recognised that other authorities were experiencing the same problems and questioned what was being done nationally to address this. A Member expressed concern at the lack of additional funding being provided in the Government’s recent budget to address the crisis affecting local government with regards to SEN services, including SEN transport.

(ii)             The Director reported on discussions by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS). Members were reassured that the Council regularly fed into discussions at a national level directly and through these groups.  It was noted that there was general agreement across both Associations that children should be at the core of how services were directed with transport tailored to a child’s needs. However, this did not always align with parental expectations.  A change in legislation to redress the balance and to move away from what was currently an adversarial system was needed.  Representations had been made to the Department for Education on that basis, but unfortunately feedback to date was that there was no appetite by the Government to amend the legislation. 

(iii)            Members noted the ADEPT toolkit which shared actions taken by authorities to address pressures locally within the current legislative framework.  The Council was seeking to learn from what others had done, and it had shared its work undertaken with Blaby District Council to trial the introduction of school only taxi license badges.  Members noted the success of the trial so far which was in its very early stages, and the Director undertook to provide more detailed information on this after the meeting.  A Member questioned if this type of targeted licence could be rolled out to other types of volunteer drivers (for example, those providing community transport in rural areas).  The Director undertook to share details of the contact at Blaby District Council so that members could discuss future options. 

(iv)           The Authority provided transport services as required by legislation but had discretion to determine locally how best to deliver this. It was therefore difficult to make comparisons with other authorities as each operated differently and this was reflective of the level of funding they received. The County Council’s low funded position meant it had, over a number of years, sought to deliver its services as efficiently as possible and it would make use of the ADEPT toolkit to look at other areas for improvement. One example being considered was improving its independent travel training which other authorities had done to make sure those over the age of 16 were better able to use public transport, rather than require personal transport services from the Council.

(v)             A Member expressed concern that some children were not able to attend their nearest special school which added to the transport burden. The Director explained that under current regulation’s placements were agreed as part of a child’s ECHP (education and health care plan) and transport was considered at the end of that process. This was one of the areas where legislative change was being sought. However, locally the Department was seeking to address this with closer joint working with the Children and Family Services Department through its TSIL (Transforming SEND in Leicestershire) Programme.  Transport officers were now involved in discussions to ensure transport needs were considered at a much earlier stage.

The Lead Member commented that it was not always possible for children with SEN to attend their nearest special school.  Their needs could sometimes be complex which meant they had to travel to a school which was appropriately equipped to meet their specific needs.  This would always be a factor despite the improvements being made across the service and through the TSIL programme. 

(vi)           A Member commented that looking at SEN transport in isolation made it difficult to understand the strategic overview being taken to address the high level of growth being seen each year.  They questioned, for example, how growth was modelled to identify where new special schools were needed as perhaps this would then help reduce the number and length of transport journeys required.  The Director undertook to liaise with the Children and Families Department to establish what could be provided to inform the Committee on this matter.

(vii)          Members noted that the safeguarding practices and procedures for SEN transport were being reviewed.  It was acknowledged that the market for these services had changed considerably in recent years and the review was necessary to ensure this did not affect the robust, safe systems in place.

(viii)        A Member requested more information regarding the numbers and different types of transport types being sought by the public.  The Director undertook to provide such information after the meeting.

The Lead Member acknowledged the work of the Transport team, recognising that this was often under significant pressure and thanked them for their continued hard work.

RESOLVED:

(a)              That the update on the performance and delivery of Special Educational Needs transport for the 2023/24 academic year be noted.

(b)             That the next steps to be taken by the service over the next 12 months be noted.

(c)             That the Director of Environment and Transport be requested to:

(i)               provide more detailed information on school only taxi license badges being trialled with Blaby District Council;

(ii)              share details of the contact at Blaby District Council so that members could discuss future options regarding school only taxi license badges and whether this might be rolled out to other types of voluntary transport in their areas;

(iii)            liaise with the Children and Families Department to establish what could be provided to inform the Committee on work taking place to address SEN growth and help minimise transport need and journey times;

(iv)            provide some generic information regarding the numbers and different types of transport types being sought by the public to help member understanding of the service.