Councillor claims leaders ignored costs of transport changes sending kids to closest schools amid concerns.
This change caused lots of concerns. Some kids might travel out of their county, and schools could face financial issues. Friends could even get split up.
Councillors wanted details on costs at the meeting, but they must wait until next year’s review. They will get more information then.
Annabel Wilkinson said they consulted for a long time. Councillors could ask questions before the vote, and members voted last July on this change.
Wilkinson said the policy has many factors. These include parental preferences for schools, and school popularity impacts the policy. School place availability matters, too.
Policy papers showed possible savings for councillors. These savings considered some of these factors, and they expect to save money at first. The savings are in the financial plan.
Wilkinson stated they will review after one year. The review will occur in autumn 2026; this is after the new policy has been used.
Stuart Parsons spoke after the meeting and said savings dropped to less than £3m. The original vote mentioned savings of £4.2m, and extra costs for the policy are unknown.
Parsons noted routes across the Pennines need changes. These routes require priority one status now because kids use them to get to school. They don’t know the cost of this change.
Parsons said they failed to answer questions, or, their answers would make people protest. The answers were not good for them, he stated.
Felicity Cunliffe-Lister spoke about the review timing, saying it’s too late because parents must change plans. Parents have to make tough choices soon.
Cunliffe-Lister said savings rely on assumptions, and they don’t account for the extra costs. The policy might cause disruptions for everyone, including schools, parents, and kids. The scheme might not save money.
A dozen councillors walked out of the meeting. They protested an unexpected plan change because the executive suggested changing the five-year plan. They did not give prior notice of this change.
Bad exchanges happened between councillors earlier. The executive was accused of personal attacks, and opposition councillors claimed the Tories got voting instructions beforehand.