Bristol City Council staff could drive disabled children to school

Bristol City Council spends £12m on home-to-school transport

Disabled children in Bristol could be driven to school by council staff in minibuses in a bid to cut taxi bills.

Bristol City Council is facing a sharp rise in spending on taxis for home-to-school transport and the plan would bring costs down.

This year the authority expects to spend nearly £12m on home-to-school transport, partly because of sending children to schools outside the area.

A council director said it's "extremely close" to finding a local solution.

The jump in home-to-school transport costs has been caused by the combination of a rising number of children with special and educational needs and a shortage of suitable school places within Bristol.

This means the "nearest suitable school" could be many miles away from Bristol, with some pupils being driven there and back every day, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

This year the council expects to spend £11.8m on home-to-school transport, for about 1,200 passengers, with costs rising.

'Incredibly expensive'

Bristol City councillors heard an update about plans to stop spending from rising in a meeting on 15 December.

Vanessa Wilson, director of children and education transformation, said: "The placement of a child in external supported accommodation is huge. Some of these children, especially with high complex needs, can cost authorities up to £1m a year.

"But we can provide that support in house, by bringing in the right provision and accommodation.

"We need to work with the voluntary sector and social enterprises. I'm in discussion with them already to look at alternative delivery with home-to-school travel, and how we can have a hybrid model.

"We may have a small fleet ourselves, which could be used not just for home-to-school travel but also used for other services."

Additionally, a lack of places in children's homes within the city also means that some are placed in "incredibly expensive" homes far away from Bristol.

However, the council is now planning to open a few new homes within the city, to improve the quality of care and cut costs.

Conservative councillor John Goulandris said: "Placing children outside our local authority is incredibly expensive, hugely expensive.

"We've been saying for ages: can we not build some capacity locally? How close are we to getting that?"

Ms Wilson replied: "We're extremely close. The better outcomes and quality of care are within Bristol, not placing people out of the area — and some of those placements are further than anyone would ever want to be.

"That's not what's right for those children."