Kent: Parents concern over plans to cut free school travel for SEN teens

Parents in Kent will need to pay £500 if the plans are given the go-ahead

Parents face paying £500 if plans to axe free school travel for teenagers with special needs are agreed.

Kent County Council (KCC) has unveiled proposals to end the no-cost service in a bid to save £700,000 from next September.

However, families have criticised the plan, as they face having to pay for the taxis and minibuses their children have been taking to attend class.

Mother Mandy Swords believes parents will struggle to afford the service.

Under the proposals, pupils with special needs over the age of 16 who have an educational health care plan will be "expected to seek a 16+ travel saver bus pass".

Anyone unable to take public transport will be offered the use of taxis and minibuses, for the price of a bus pass, which is currently £500 a year. The fees can be reduced for low-income households.

'Ridiculous'

Ms Swords, a carer from Sheppey, whose daughters attend schools in Canterbury, faces paying an extra £1,000 a year.

"We'll have to find the money some way or another, but we haven't got the cash spare - we just tick over," she said.

"It's disgusting really - it's ridiculous."

Meanwhile, mother Michelle Kerly, from Herne, near Herne Bay, said her 11-year-old son "would not be able to cope" on public transport.

KCC is asking residents to have their say on the changes during a consultation period. A spokesman stressed the "strength of feeling will of course be taken into account by members".

"But a consultation is not a vote. It is about understanding the impact our proposals may have on people and using this insight, along with other evidence, to enable well-informed decisions to be made," the spokesman added.

The consultation is set to close on 21 March.

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