A joint scrutiny meeting next week will kick start a consultation on the introduction of charges for home to college/school transport for youngsters over sixteen from September next year. This was a budget proposal controversially approved by the council in Feburary after being rejected in previous years. The council hopes to save around £400,000 by 2018.
The charges will be between £200 to £250 per year and payment will be required before a travel pass is issued. The charge, as it stands at the moment, will also be imposed on pupils with Special Educational Needs. The proposal is to exempt pupils receiving free school meals from the charge, and also pupils who are currently at Pantycelyn School in Llandovery, until it shortly closes it's doors for good.
The consultation will not be offering the option of actually rejecting the charges, it will be asking for comment on the finer details, which it can then choose to ignore.
As it is not a Statutory service, the council can choose to withdraw support and introduce these charges, they claim that as EMA is available to post-16's, this will help cover the cost. The problem is that whilst the council have ticked their 'equalities' boxes, it discriminates against those who live in the vast areas of rural Carmarthenshire, particularly in the north and east, and also against families on low incomes but who are not eligible for free dinners.
The decision to continue post-16 education should be encouraged as much as possible, even by the council, and speaking from local experience the introduction of these charges will simply tip the balance for many 16 year olds and their families against continuing with full time education at all.
The charges will be between £200 to £250 per year and payment will be required before a travel pass is issued. The charge, as it stands at the moment, will also be imposed on pupils with Special Educational Needs. The proposal is to exempt pupils receiving free school meals from the charge, and also pupils who are currently at Pantycelyn School in Llandovery, until it shortly closes it's doors for good.
The consultation will not be offering the option of actually rejecting the charges, it will be asking for comment on the finer details, which it can then choose to ignore.
As it is not a Statutory service, the council can choose to withdraw support and introduce these charges, they claim that as EMA is available to post-16's, this will help cover the cost. The problem is that whilst the council have ticked their 'equalities' boxes, it discriminates against those who live in the vast areas of rural Carmarthenshire, particularly in the north and east, and also against families on low incomes but who are not eligible for free dinners.
The decision to continue post-16 education should be encouraged as much as possible, even by the council, and speaking from local experience the introduction of these charges will simply tip the balance for many 16 year olds and their families against continuing with full time education at all.