Spare seats scheme: Oxfordshire County Council letter 'caused anxiety'

Some pupils travelling to Wheatley Park School in Holton will be affected

An authority has admitted a letter sent to parents about the withdrawal of home-to-school transport "caused anxiety".

But Oxfordshire County Council stopped short of apologising during a council meeting earlier.

Conservative leader Eddie Reeves responded: "When is an apology not an apology? When it's an Oxfordshire County Council apology."

The local authority is withdrawing its Spare Seats scheme on nine routes.

The scheme allows parents and guardians with children not eligible for free home-to-school transport to pay to use spare seats on school buses.

During the meeting, Mr Reeves put forward a motion for the council to apologise unreservedly for sending the letters "without parental or wider public consultation" which "caused significant anxiety and distress".

Conservative Yvonne Constance said the letter had been "unnecessary" and "brutal". "It could have been done so much better," she added.

'Sympathetic'

Liberal Democrat Andy Graham moved to amend the motion which recognised the letter sent to the parents and guardians of 235 children affected had caused anxiety.

It said a new letter would be sent reassuring them the council was "committed to providing spare seats wherever possible and/or encouraging replacement community transport services to ensure that there is no loss of services to parents and pupils".

Mr Graham said there had been a lot of "soul searching" over the policy and insisted progress had been made.

He said solutions were on the way for several schools affected and in some cases public bus providers would step in.

A cross-party review will be assessed by a scrutiny committee.

Lib Dem Kate Gregory, who seconded the amended motion, said: "As a parent myself I'm of course sympathetic to the parents who received that letter as it must have been extremely stressful for them."

Labour's Liz Brighouse said: "I really apologise that so many people... have actually felt that the spare seat scheme had been abandoned... it hasn't been withdrawn."

But Mr Reeves told the chamber: "This council should straightforwardly apologise for what transpired."

He added: "[Parents and guardians] are beside themselves with anxiety. This debate does not do credence to that strength of feeling."

The amended motion was passed 36 votes to 14.