School transport arrangements across the Isle of Wight could face a major review as the Council looks to save more than £1.5million over the next 3 years.
The Isle of Wight Council is considering changes to how home-to-school transport is commissioned and delivered, including tighter eligibility assessments and greater use of personal transport budgets and independent travel training.
The proposals form part of a wider drive to reduce spending within Children’s Services, where costs continue to rise due to increasing demand, more complex needs and pressures across the care market.
In a report prepared for councillors, Ashley Whittaker, the Council’s Strategic Director of Children’s Services, has outlined a series of potential savings aimed at bringing expenditure under control while maintaining positive outcomes for children and families.
One of the key proposals involves reviewing existing school transport users to ensure that provision remains aligned with the Council’s statutory duties and delivers value for money.
This could see greater emphasis placed on helping young people travel independently, where appropriate, as well as encouraging the use of personal transport budgets as an alternative to traditional council-arranged transport.
The proposed changes come at a time when school transport arrangements have already attracted criticism from parents across the Island.
As previously reported by Island Echo, the Council recently opened up 6 previously dedicated school bus routes to members of the general public, following encouragement from the Department for Education to make better use of available capacity and secure value for money.
The decision affected routes serving schools including Carisbrooke College, Christ the King College, Ryde Academy and the Island Free School, with some parents raising concerns over safeguarding and the potential for children to travel alongside unrelated adults.
Meanwhile, parents in the West Wight launched a petition earlier this year calling for a dedicated school bus service for pupils attending Medina College.
The campaign followed concerns that 11-year-old children were facing lengthy journeys involving 2 public buses, with some expected to spend around 1 hour and 20 minutes travelling each way.
Parents argued that the arrangements raised safeguarding concerns and could negatively affect pupils’ education and wellbeing.
The latest budget proposals do not identify individual routes for withdrawal or confirm whether any existing school transport provision would be reduced.
Alongside the transport review, Mr Whittaker has proposed improvements to the Council’s foster care offer, aimed at increasing the availability of suitable homes for children and young people.
The measures would seek to reduce reliance on costly emergency accommodation and strengthen the Council’s ability to meet the needs of vulnerable children within appropriate care settings.
According to the report, Children’s Services is facing sustained financial pressure, with expenditure increasing faster than the funding available to local authorities.
Councillors are being asked to consider which proposals should be developed further as part of the Council’s wider budget-setting process.
Importantly, the Children’s Services, Education and Skills Committee is not being asked to approve any savings at this stage, but rather to decide which options should be progressed for further consideration by the Policy, Finance and Resources Committee.
The proposals will be discussed when the Children’s Services, Education and Skills Committee meets at County Hall tomorrow (Thursday 15th October) at 17:00.
