We are changing the way post-16 young people with additional needs are helped to access their place of education.
The changes will relate only to young people of sixth-form age who are eligible for travel assistance.
All councils have to produce a ‘Transport Statement’ setting out the arrangements for enabling eligible post-16 pupils to access education. It is to support those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities but also supports pupils who, due to exceptional circumstances, need transport assistance.
Other local authorities have already changed their Transport Statement in order to make savings whilst still supporting young people and their families to access education.
In 2022/23, we spent £2.6million providing taxis and minibuses to transport eligible post-16 young people to their education setting.
The costs are rising quickly and, in light of the financial challenges facing the council, this will not be sustainable in the future.
Following agreement by Cabinet, a new approach will be adopted which provides each eligible pupil with a Post 16 Personal Travel Payment, based on the distance they travel to education – the further they travel, the higher their payment will be.
However, we understand that a Post 16 Personal Travel Payment may not be suitable in all circumstances, especially for those pupils with the most complex needs. So the approach also allows us to arrange transport for individual pupils where a Personal Travel Payment would not be appropriate.
Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Strategic Director for Corporate Strategy, Commissioning and Public Health, said:
“We need to support young people in accessing education whilst also making these services more sustainable for the future.
“These changes are designed so that people with the greatest needs are receiving the most assistance but other students of sixth-form age are also supported.
“Where a family is receiving a Personal Travel Payment, they could spend their budget in whichever way is best for them, giving them flexibility to tailor their travel arrangements based on individual needs.”
Meanwhile, it is also being proposed that we will purchase our own fleet of vehicles to help with operating good-quality school transport services and reducing costs in the long term.
This would be a pilot scheme and a decision would be made separately before being published on our website.