CUTS to school transport seen elsewhere in Wales is a risk in the Vale of Glamorgan as well, a council official has said.
The Vale Council’s head of strategy, community learning and resources, Trevor Baker, was asked at a scrutiny committee meeting on Thursday, 19th September, whether the local authority would have to make reductions to school transport similar to those seen in Bridgend.
The removal of free school transport for certain groups and the withdrawal of transport for pupils who the council thinks should be able to walk to school were among the changes approved by the cabinet of Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) in July 2024.
Photo: Vale Council.
Conservative Vale Council member, Cllr Rhys Thomas, asked the question at the local authority’s learning and culture scrutiny committee meeting.
Mr Baker said: “The challenge that we have here… we have fewer drivers that are available, the cost of those contracts are going way up and those operators, the way that they work is, they don’t just serve our schools. They cross borders and they go all over the place.
“What we are looking at doing [is], what can be changed in terms of pick up and drop off times? Is that going to make a difference going forward because it gives us a greater economy to scale with some of these service providers?
“Beyond that, there isn’t too much that we can do because there just aren’t enough drivers and operators at the moment, so it is a risk, yes.”
The changes in Bridgend are designed to save the council there £792,000 and it will take effect in September 2025. The sibling rule, which gives pupils free transport on the same terms as older siblings will come to an end. Free transport for post-16 English-medium pupils will be removed and transport for pupils with a walking route to school identified as safe by the council will be withdrawn.
Councils across England and Wales continue to face challenges financially with costs and demands on services increasing. The Vale Council is expecting to face a budget gap of about £9m for 2025/26. This year, it had to bridge a gap of more than £7m.
By Ted Peskett, LDRS
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