Agenda item

6.1

The Executive Director, Children, Young People and Families, submitted reports and commented upon 25 cases where parents had appealed against the administrative decisions made by the Executive Director with regard to the refusal to grant home to school travel bus passes.

6.2

The Committee gave consideration to all the supporting information and evidence provided by the pupils’ parents including, in some cases, evidence and advice provided by voluntary or professional bodies and organisations and, arising therefrom, it was:-

6.3

RESOLVED: That (a) 18 appeals be not upheld on the grounds that there are no exceptional circumstances demonstrated and, having regard to the Council’s Home to School Transport Policy, (i) the school that eight of the pupils are requesting a pass for is not their catchment school/nearest suitable school (Case Nos. HUN1, HUN2, ALL1, ALL2, KIEC2, NOT1, UTC1 and DEFRIV1), (ii) the distance from the home address of seven of the pupils to the schools for which they are requesting a pass for is less than the distance in the criteria (Case Nos. PAR1, PAR2, KIED2,  NEW1, NEW2, YEW1 and YEW2) and (iii) three of the pupils do not attend one of their three nearest qualifying schools (Case Nos. CIT1, KIEC1 and KIED1);

(b) one appeal be upheld on the grounds that there are exceptional medical and family circumstances in the case with a letter of support and medical evidence being received from the family’s GP (Case No. LGO-ALLS2);

(c)  five appeals be upheld on a termly basis, on the grounds that there are either exceptional educational, financial, medical or family circumstances in the cases (Case Nos. WYB1, CIT2, HIND1, SPR1 and MBR1def); and

(d)  a decision on the remaining appeal be deferred to enable the Executive Director, Children, Young People and Families to make further investigations into the case, along the lines now requested, and authority be given to the Executive Director, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, to determine the appeal (Case No. PARK1).

(NOTE: (i) In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 26 of the Council’s Constitution and the provisions of Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the Chair decided that one of the above appeals (Case No.MBR1def) be considered as a matter of urgency in order for the appeal to be considered at the earliest possible opportunity, although it had not been possible to give five clear days’ notice that the appeal was to be considered; and (ii) during the consideration of Case No. UTC1, in which the Chair declared an interest, Councillor Ian Saunders took the Chair).