Move to axe school travel for Dudley children with special needs sparks protest

Parents say a personal allowance would not come close to the amount needed and instead suggest Dudley Council re-tender the contracts for the free transport.

Marc Carter, who lives in Brierley Hill, was among 20 demonstrators from Dudley Coalition Against the Cuts who protested outside a Dudley Council meeting. The authority plans to cut free transport for children with special needs as it seeks to save more than £200,000 a year.

The council's children's services scrutiny committee was meeting to discuss changes to the children's service provision, which included the possibility of providing the personal budget to cover transport costs in exceptional circumstances.

The committee's chairman Melvyn Mottram said: "The council is considering the provision of a personal budget to cover the cost in exceptional circumstances. The council does not believe that it is in the best interests of children to travel long distances to geographically distant locations."

However, Mr Carter said the transport needed to be tailored to the children's needs, adding that it was difficult for them to use public transport, particularly buses and especially if they had mobility problems as they would have to walk to and from the bus stop to get to school.

He added every child had individual needs which had to be considered and some had oxygen tanks and other medical equipment that they had to take with them.

Another option was for parents to take their children, but this would increase the pressure on them, especially if they had to drive children to different schools and would mean they would have very little spare time if they had to take their children to nursery at 8.30am and then pick them up again three or four hours later.

Mr Carter, who uses the free transport for his own child Ben, aged 12 to get him to Old Park School in Brierley Hill, suggested the contracts for the free transport should be re-tendered to see if a ten or 20 per cent saving could be made.

"I can't see how the personal allowance could be anywhere near the amount needed as it would have to be £100s so parents could arrange for a taxi with an escort to come and pick the children up."

The authority said it is not legally required to provide the service and has launched a consultation on charges.

The council currently pays for 49 children with additional needs to travel to specialist nurseries in the borough.

But leaders claim they have been forced to consider axing the service after funding cutbacks from central Government. They also said that by September, when the proposed charges could be introduced, only be 11 children would be affected.

Dudley's opposition groups claimed it is 'immoral' to be making cuts to children's services following a controversial senior management restructure.

Sedgley councillor and UKIP West Midlands MEP Bill Etheridge is opposed to the cuts.

A consultation on the plans is currently taking place and runs until March 2. Visit www.dudley.gov.uk to take part.