Cheshire East Council spends more than £230,000 a week on taxis taking children to and from school, writes Belinda Ryan.
Figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) through Freedom of Information (FOI) reveal the council pays for 887 children to go to school by taxi at an approximate cost of £231,959.67 per week.
Of these 887 children, 320 travel outside the borough for schooling at an approximate cost of £103,513.46 per week.
The issue of school transport and the use of taxis was first raised at a meeting of the licensing committee earlier this year.
Some councillors said there must be a cheaper way of transporting children to school.
At that time the two councillors who raised the issue – Wilmslow councillor Lata Anderson (Ind) and Handforth councillor Julie Smith (Non-grouped) – were unaware of the full cost.
When the LDRS contacted Cllr Smith with the figures obtained through the FOI, she said: “If those figures are right, I can’t believe we’re paying out that amount and a more cost-effective method hasn’t been looked for.”
Cheshire East told the LDRS it had already planned a review of its travel to school policy.
Cllr Kathryn Flavell, lead member for children and families at Cheshire East Council, said: “We are required by law to make travel arrangements for certain children to attend school.
“When a child is eligible for school transport, our aim is to provide travel support that reflects the needs of the children and young people but also is the most cost-effective option available.
“Increased demand for school transport, in particular for children with special educational needs and disabilities, together with a reduction in the number of providers and the cost of fuel have all put pressure on our transport budget.
“This is a national issue, and the costs were highlighted in our latest budget, which was discussed and approved at a meeting of full council in February.”
She added: “In our budget we agreed further investment of £1.2 million during 2022/23 as well as committing to an independent review of the service.
“The main aims of this review are to improve the experience of thousands of children who travel to and from school every day, minimise disruption and recommend savings.
“We are also investing in increasing the number of school places to help more children attend a local school reducing the need to travel and promoting a healthy lifestyle by walking or cycling where appropriate.
“We are committed to carrying out the review together with our key stakeholders, including parents, carers, young people, our staff and our schools and providers.
“Details on the scope of the review and the timelines will be discussed at a public meeting of our children and families committee in May.”
(taxi sign, pic fir display only under creative commons by Brad Hammonds)
My child travels out of area to a special school, as there are non suitable in CE. They need to sort out Special school provision first then they will find transport costs will fall. Until then families need a safe and convenient transport, which realistically can often only be a taxi. Councillor smith should consult with users first before making statements which will only lead to cost cutting measures which harm the provision for the children who need these services.