Parents whose kids receive free school transport on faith grounds are angered at County plans to charge the same as other pupils…

It’s tough because it is always difficult to start charging for something which has historically been free. But is it fair that in Staffordshire if you attend a Catholic or C of E Collegiate School on faith grounds you get for free what other children have to pay for?

Staffordshire, like every other part of the UK, must make its contribution towards paying down the massive national debt and so we are looking at ways to find £70million annual cost reductions by 2012 whilst maintaining our determination to keep council tax rises to inflation or lower.

And two of the fundamental values in our Manifesto last June were fairness and equity. That’s why from an equitable point of view this needs addressing. Over 15,000 youngsters get transported to school each day because they either live more than walking distance from their catchment school or choose to go to a different one.

Unless from a family on low income or outside the catchment walking distance everyone pays for their school bus seat if they want one. Not the same, however, for the students going to faith schools on religious belief grounds who travel for free. Faith schools and the choice they bring are important and should be supported but the £1.3million annual cost to Staffordshire council tax payers for those 1800 youngsters who receive free travel is not equitable to all or fair.

So we propose to level the playing field after the many years of dithering by the previous County administration around this and alongside the other authorities that have already taken a similar view.

It’s a serious and, some say, controversial proposal which discriminates against the Catholic Faith. Controversial it might be but discriminatory it’s not. The current rules benefit one group of pupils over others and I’ve thought long and hard about the fact that even if I were still in opposition I’d have great difficulty arguing against this change. But there is a big campaign starting to leave things as they are.

A major consultation was launched by the County a few weeks ago on this issue and whether a council tax payer, you pay for your child’s seat already or you are someone affected directly by these proposals you can have your say at the consultation web page or write to the County with your views by 25th June.

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