The Council will always ensure that every child or young person who is eligible under its statutory duty to receive support to travel to school, gets this support.
However, providing specialist transport is expensive and in recent years we’ve seen a huge rise in the number of SEND pupils needing specialist transport to get to school.
At the moment, the service the Council provides, often goes beyond its statutory requirements, but with rising transport costs, and more demand placing significant strain on budgets, the Council can no longer afford to sustain this position.
The options to be set out during the consultation would mean the Council’s policy more closely aligns our specialist transport provision with our legal duties and with that of other local authorities close to Halton.
The consultation will also set out a number of alternative travel solutions that could give families more flexibility about travel arrangements and support the independence of young people.
We hope as many as possible parents, carers and children and young people who may be affected by any potential policy changes, take part in the consultation when it is launched, so that we can consider their views as we shape the future policy.
More information on how to get involved in the consultation will be shared in the coming weeks.