Agenda item

To consider a report (copy enclosed) by the Education Planning and Resources Manager which outlines the process followed by the Learner Transport Working Group in reviewing the non-statutory elements of the Council’s Learner Transport Policy, and the outcomes of that review.

10.10am – 10.40am

The Lead Member for Education, Children and Young People, Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts, Principal Finance & Assurance Officer Martyn Dodd, Planning and Resources Manager Ian Land, Principal Manager - Modernising Education Geraint Davies, Passenger Transport Section Manager Peter Daniels were all in attendance for the item.

Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts introduced the report providing information regarding Denbighshire’s Learner Transport Policy: Non-Statutory Elements. He stated the report had first appeared at Scrutiny May 2019 for debate. Since that initial report work had been completed by Officers and the working group to preserve post-16 school transport. It was explained that Welsh Government were undertaking a review of the current legislation, which may result in changes to it once completed. 

Members heard from the Planning and Resources Manager (PRM) of the new regulations regarding public service vehicles and their impact on the discretionary chargeable school transport.

During the debate the following points were raised:

·         Confirmation that the authority did provide college transport. Within the policy, the authority provided suitable transport to the closest education provision. It was explained that if individuals chose alternative providers the cost would be reviewed by the authority and the provider, to establish who would fund transport costs.

·         Concerns regarding overspend on the budget for learner transport were discussed. The PRM emphasized the legislation stated the statutory requirement to provide school transport. Thus stating if a child was eligible for transport to school as an authority we had to provide the service even if over budget. Members heard that an increase in the school transport budget for the next year had been approved.

·         If Council policy changed and charged post-16 students the school transport fleet provision would have to be reviewed to ensure compliance. It would potentially cause issues in availability of suitable vehicles.

·         Meetings that had been arranged for members of the Learner Transport Working Group had provided a lot of information and illustrated to members the position the authority was in. It provided members with clarity and information on the school transport budget and policy.

·         Within the policy a level of flexibility and discretion on land borders still applied. 

·         Discussions with housing had taken place. Communication with housing and the homelessness team continued. The discretion element of the policy had allowed a child to continue to receive transport to their school even if they moved away from the area. All individual cases were examined and all options explored. Decisions would be made by the Head of Service to offer school transport, with each case been assessed on its own merits.       

The Chair thanked all the Officers for the detailed report. It was therefore:

Resolved: - subject to the above observations –

(i)           to endorse the Working Group’s recommendation that there should be no change to the non-statutory elements presently in the Learner Transport Policy;

(ii)          that, in line with the Chair of the Woking Group’s suggestion, the Working Group should not be disbanded and that the Authority keep a watching brief over the next 12 months on the impact of the Public Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) and the Welsh Government’s review of Post 16 Learner Travel, both of which will have significant bearing on post-16 transport discussions; and

(iii)          provide the Committee with a report in due course on the impact of the above on the Council’s learner transport policy and associated budget.