Go North East strikes: 1,000 pupils cannot get to college

Alison Maynard said the college was spending up to £400 on individual private hire vehicles per day

A college has said nearly 1,000 pupils have been unable to attend classes because of the ongoing Go North East bus strike.

New College Durham (NCD) said it had been forced to spend thousands of pounds on alternative travel arrangements.

It said action, which started a month ago, was having a "detrimental impact" on pupils' mental health and education.

A ballot on a new pay offer has opened to workers after pay talks on Monday.

New College Durham has about 2,800 full-time students

"We have 996 students who can't access the college, they have no means of travel so at the moment, so we're prioritising them," Alison Maynard, NCD deputy principal, said.

"We are hiring ourselves 70-seater buses, minibuses, taxis, but at the moment the college is financing all of the private transport."

'Inundated'

The college, which has about 2,800 full-time students aged between 16 and 18, said it was spending up to £400 per day on individual private hire buses.

Ms Maynard said that the college had seen a rise in students contacting its mental health support team since the latest action began.

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"We are getting inundated with telephone calls and we're making regular contact with those students checking in to make sure they're okay."

She added that the college was now speaking to several exam boards over potential mitigating circumstances if some pupils cannot access the premises for exams.

Eryk Wrobel says his mental health has suffered as a result of the strikes

NCD health and social care student Eryk Wrobel said the industrial action means his bus service from Leadgate to Durham was not operating.

The 17-year-old said he was unable to attend the majority of his classes, practical assessments or educational trips, except for when his parents can take time away from work.

"This is similar to Covid. It affects my social life, and on a weekend I can't get out as much, my mates who live further away can't meet up to see all of us.

"I can stay at home but I can't socialise so it's affecting my mental health and if you cant socialise, you can go a bit mad."

Moss Parish said she was worried as some of her friends were unable to make it into college

Student governor, and A-level student, Moss Parish said she was growing "increasingly concerned" over the impact on her friends' mental health who can no longer attend the campus.

She said: "Some friends have gone off the charts, they've not shown up to any lessons and are not messaging me back.

"There's no way of me going to visit, there aren't any buses to their house. It's very worrying, these are my friends and I can't check up on them."

It comes as the BBC revealed Unite the Union and Go North East had reached a deal on a pay offer on Monday.

The bus company has offered a two-year deal which includes a 10.5% rise backdated to July, followed by an 11.2% increase from January 2024 and a further above-inflation rise, subject to a minimum 4% increase, from July 2024.

"Unite can confirm that we have received a new offer from Go North East following talks. This offer will now be put to our members for ballot," Unite said.

Go North East declined to comment whilst its workers are being balloted.