Dawlish Discussion

this is from today's Herald Express. It is important. Please let parents/teenagers know.

County's student transport plan could still cost £500 per year

By emma pearcy epearcy@heraldexpress.co.uk DEVON County Council has performed a U-turn on providing transport for post-16 students — but it could cost up to £500 a year for the privilege. The authority looks set to retain a post-16 transport scheme saying a decision not to would be 'short-sighted'. It has been described as a 'major policy U-turn' by the Teignbridge county councillor who first raised fears about the proposal to cut it. Last October Devon County Council's ruling Cabinet agreed to consult on a number of transport concessions in order to achieve savings in discretionary budgets. The council was looking at a number of options for post-16 transport as part of its £54.6million budget cuts. The options included the cancellation of the existing post-16 transport scheme as the county council only has a legal duty to provide transport for children under the age of 16. But now it is proposing to implement a scheme where students pay £500 a year in bus pass fees. Cabinet member for schools and skills, Christine Channon, said this would have been short-sighted. She said: "At a time when we are trying to encourage children to continue in education, this could well have discouraged them." Instead the Cabinet will consider retaining a post-16 transport scheme while charging closer to the commercial cost for a bus pass. It will mean a fee of £500 a year for new students dropping to £470 if the charge is paid up-front. Existing students will not be affected. The Cabinet will also consider a significant reduction in charges for students from low income families when it meets on April 13. The new charges will come into effect for students starting in September. Cllr Channon said: "We have promised that any changes will not affect existing students and we are honouring that pledge. "We do not want to increase charges at all but we are facing unprecedented cuts in our funding from the government as it battles to bring the national deficit under control. "Devon County Council's support from government will drop by 28 per cent over the next four years. "We have had to establish priorities and we must first ensure that we meet our statutory obligations. "Post-16 transport is not a statutory requirement and we have had to reduce costs here to enable us to continue to meet our legal obligations." Cllr Alan Connett, the Liberal Democrat leader of Teignbridge Council and county councillor for Exminster and Kenton, had previously raised fears that any cuts would be detrimental to families already on the breadline. "I'm delighted for the young people of Devon to see the Conservatives have announced this major policy U-turn. In this rural county, getting to college or sixth form is not easy for many students and the Tory plans to cut transport help would have been a disaster for some. "The Conservatives based their budget savings on short-sighted measures such as this, so we now need to see where else they will cut in order to claw back the money. "It is interesting that the council has announced it U-turn in the week local elections are called across Devon."

It's my understanding that Cllr Connett is up for re-election soon and as the councils have entered purdah should not be making party political statements to the media.

Side issue I know but rather typical.

in which case Cllr Channon should also not be making political statements? But as you say, a side issue.

The main issue being that many of us need financial help if our kids are to continue their education post 16.

I know it's a side issue but Cllr Channon is not affected by purdah as far as I can tell. I can only find her on DCC website listed as a Cllr so she is not up for re-election.

The issue of transport for kids is important and I won't deny it but for Cllr Connett to be trying to make political gain at a time when he shouldn't (by law let's not forget) is wrong.

He wants to be elected again so he should stick to the rules, as should all candidates whatever colour rosette they wear.

Yep, thinking about it, you are of course corrrect. As Cllr Channon is a Devon County Councillor only then unlike Cllr Connett she is not up for re-election as a district and/or parish councillor.

So....if Cllr Connett has done something he shouldn't have then I am sure others will more than make hay with that fact.

Now, to return to the main matter. As our Devon County Councillor, John Clatworthy, also is not up for re-election then like Cllr Channon he too must be free to comment on things political. Like er...........our aged 16-19 year old kids getting some help with their travel costs to/from Exeter College, Torquay Grammar School and the like.

Cllr Clatworthy?

I should imagine Cllr Clatworthy rarely takes the time to read this forum. I'd love to see him comment though!

All aspects of the expense of further education worries me, like you Lynne I have a child hoping to enter further education this autumn.

I am deeply concerned about the costs involved but want to appear supportive.

My worries are not so much for the A level time but what follows after, university is an opportunity I didn't have or want and whilst I'd like my child to have this chance I fear the burden of debt after.

Ah, well, best start budgeting for travel for the next two years.

Couldn't agree more that the likelihood of Cllr Clatworthy reading this forum is about zilch. Unless of course a reader somewhere brings his attention to it and in particular this thread. (Nah, I don't fink so eiver.)

So, to ensure that Cllr Clatworthy is aware that we have concerns about the travel costs let alone anything else when it comes to our kids continuing with their post 16 education why not e-mail him and let him know?

john.clatworthy@devon.gov.uk

The Conservatives are all for upward social mobility and reducing the numbers of young people who are NEETS (not in Education, Training or Employment) but I think they need reminding that it is not only the very poor (ie those who qualify for Free School Meals) who need financial help if both the Conservative Party's and our children's hopes are to be fulfilled.

There is a lot rubbish out there about purdah. Cllr Connett is up for re-election as a district councillor ; his comments were about a county council matter, so outside purdah. It is not against the law to make political statements to the media anyway - it's call freedom of speech.

Didn't the county council spend something like £50k on helping Plymouth City Council "get ready for the world cup". Which included Plymouth City Council sending its leader and chief executive on a trip to the World Cup in South Africa. The trip cost £5,700 of taxpayers' money.

Glad to see the Lib Dems read my postings, eh Archidamus?

Not sure what having a swipe at Tory controlled Plymouth and Tory controlled Devon County Council is about except of course to have a swipe at the Tories!

I wonder if you could comment on the substantive issue of this thread - ie that families who earn more than the Free School Meal threshold (that's about 16k pa) also need financial help if their kids are to continue in post 16 education/training.

I'm already paying £348 per year (dropped from £378 on payment in full) for my 17 yo daughter to travel to college. This article makes it sound as if post 16 travel is currently free or am I reading it wrong?

@flo

As I'm not sure which bit of the article you think implies that the travel is free I can't really address your comment but hope the following clarifies.

As I understand the situation (and I only know what I know from the newspaper article that started off this thread), Devon County Council have no obligation to help out with educations travel costs for post 16 year olds.

However, that said, they have used their discretion nontheless to do so.

Now, however, as they have had HUGE amounts of funding cut from central government they have had to look very carefully at how they spend their money so that things that they must spend on take priority over things that they have discretion to spend on.

It seems from the newspaper article that the County Council is nontheless looking favourably at continuing with its discretionary payments to help post 16 years olds in Devon with their educational travelling costs. However, the amount that parents/carers must pay if their child is a new applicant (ie starting college wef September 2011) will increase from circa £378 per year to circa £500 per year but the amount of £378ish will stay the same if the child is already claiming the travel allowance.

Suggest you contact Cllr Clatworthey (see above for his e-mail address) for further info. He is the person who should know about these things.

Hope this helps.

Just received transport renewal letter from Devon County Council and the cost is in fact between £450 and £700 for next year.

They suggest that using public transport instead but as their bus is the only one that goes to the college, once a day there and once back, that will be difficult.

And no I won't be contacting either Councillor Clathworthy or Anne Marie Morris MP because they have made no effort on the previous educational problems I have contacted them on.

I'm not saying they would make an effort, not saying that at all. My reason for contacting them both is to make sure that they know my thoughts on various matters. Would hate for them to think that what the government/Devon County Council is doing on many things as well as educational matters is okay with me - cos it ain't!

Why not a letter to the local press then? Along the lines of your posting above. Let's share what info we have in as many ways as we can.

Not having a go Lynne but I feel I'm fighting a losing battle with education at the moment. Not only do I have to pay the transport costs but I also have to pay for my daughter to board at the college every other week. There is still the threat of closure hanging over the college (Bicton).

My son is in classes at primary school with children over a year younger than him and they are all falling behind although the teachers deny this. I now have to pay extra to get him privately tutored.

We also have a deputy head who doesn't teach at all but says that she "needs to keep on top of paperwork". This is also unacceptable but I have tried everything, complaining to the school, local councillors, MPs and although they flower the language the response might as well just be "tough".

I feel very frightened for the next generation. They are being failed on an enormous scale.

As I said, why not make your experience public via the press? I appreciate you might not want to 'go public' but that sounds just like the type of story they might be interested in and you never know, it might result in some reaction from those you mention above.

I just feel that if people don't make a public fuss about what is going on/ what their situation is then the powers that be just continue as usual. But that said, I appreciate many do not want to be in the papers.

Wish I could help more. Any thoughts on what to do?