Hundreds of vulnerable children face having school transport axed by council

[dutchman]

Cuts could impact hundreds of youngsters with learning difficulties and disabilities


Coun Kevin Maton

Hundreds of children, many with disabilities and learning difficulties, face having their school transport axed.

Coventry City Council is set to consult on plans to shave £600,000 of spending from the authority’s education travel assistance budget.

The cut could see transport cut for more than 300 youngsters attending schools in the city. But the council said it was simply scaling back the service to the bare legal minimum after years of “over provision”.

The council’s head of education said he was “not worried” about the move potentially putting vulnerable children at risk by leaving them to make their own way to school because “risk assessments” would take place.

Council chiefs also insist the possible cuts could be viewed as a positive as those who lose the free transport would be encouraged to gain “independent travel skills” which “can be taken forward into adult life”.

Coun Maton said: “I think you are missing something. Those taxis are not going to be there forever.

“This can allow children to learn skills which can help them to be independent. Then findings are that most youngsters value that independence.”

He added: “Of course it’s about saving money too. The budget is overspent.”

[rebbonk]

Yeah, we'll do a risk assessment, so that's alright then!

I wonder if Maton has carried out a risk assessment on all the 'refugee' children his council is taking in when they can't even take care of what we've got?

[Melisandre]

I was just wondering how many times we have to pay for these refugees paying out in Callais charity donation from the public getting them here then paying again when they are here
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3222250/How-Britain-given-aid-refugees-Germany-Netherlands-France-Italy-Hungary-Austria-Poland-COMBINED.html
Then our services and children suffer we must be the laughing stock of the world.

[dutchman]

Coventry dad calls for resignation of city education chief over planned cuts to school transport



A father has said Coventry City Council's education chief should consider resigning over a perceived lack of empathy in relation to planned cuts to school transport.

Gavin Clifton, from Wyken , is in a position hundreds of other parents could soon find themselves facing as the city council plans to shave £600,000 from the authority’s education travel assistance budget.

Mr Clifton has seen about 20 miles added to his daily journey after the council refused to provide transport to Baginton Fields Special School for his daughter Amy.

The dad, who works in catering, said his daughter had been refused transport because Baginton Fields was slightly further away from the family home than an alternative school that she could now attend instead.

He added he was worried that the stress of having transport taken away could be too much for some parents to cope with.

He said: “If Coun Maton can come out and say he’s not concerned, he should be considering his position as far as I’m concerned.

“For someone like Coun Maton to say that, it worries me. He doesn’t seem to have a very caring attitude.

He added: “It just makes me sad. The indifference with which a councillor said ‘I’m not worried about it because everything will be risk assessed’.

“What about giving parents due notice and right of appeal? The changes are due to come in from April 2017. That’s 20 weeks away.”

Mr Clifton said Amy’s brother Adam attends another school adding to the logistical issues he and his wife face.

Having appealed the council’s decision the family faced a delay in getting a response which led to the authority offering them £200 for the “time and inconvenience”.

Mr Clifton said he found that insulting because he wasn’t asking for money and has now referred the case to the Local Government Ombudsman.

He said: “I’m not looking for sympathy. I want other people to be aware of what’s going on. It’s not good.

“They’re picking on the most vulnerable people in society while they’re building an ivory tower at Friargate .

“A folly that’s costing an absolute fortune for somewhere they can sit in and look down on us.

“I’m absolutely furious about that.”