Parents plan to appeal against school bus cutbacks

North Yorkshire Council said the cost-cutting move would save the authority more than £3m

Families living in remote areas of North Yorkshire have said they are going to fight a controversial decision by the local authority to cut spending on school transport.

North Yorkshire councillors approved a plan to limit free transport for pupils to the nearest school to their home address.

The council said the move would save the authority more than £3m and the policy would make it fair for all families.

Parents in Swaledale affected by the council’s plan told the BBC they would look to appeal against the decision.

Mother of two Claire Calvert, who lives in Upper Swaledale, said she was worried about the impact the change in bus provision could have on her children getting to school in the years to come.

She said that the closest school would be Kirkby Stephen across the border in Cumbria, and that the connecting B6270 road was untreated during the winter months.

Claire Calvert from Swaledale said she did not believe parents had been listened to

Mrs Calvert said: “We don’t feel like we’ve been properly listened to because they are risking the lives of our children, going over a very very high moor road and it doesn’t even get gritted.

“I think a lot of us feel that we are being punished for living in such a beautiful area."

She added: "We are going to go for an appeal as an area in the hope that something may happen."

North Yorkshire Council said it was down to the contracted transport provider to assess a route for safety and suitability.

'It’s ridiculous'

Carol Livingstone, who lives at the top of Swaledale, said if parents struggled to get their children to school, some families might move house.

She said: “Obviously your children’s welfare and safety is a priority but if you can’t move house then it could affect your job.

“You can’t just wait until Monday morning, see if it’s snowing then they go and risk-assess and then say you can’t send them over that top so you are at home today.

"It’s ridiculous.”

The authority’s executive member for education, Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, said the home to school transport scheme was projected to cost the authority £51m this year, more than double the cost in 2018.

She said: “The council finances are such that difficult decisions are having to be made and we can expect more of this to come as the council finds ways to address the projected deficit.”

She added no one would lose the transport provision they had as the policy would be adopted over seven years.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].