Agenda item

To submit a report on the above.

1.     To accept the report, noting the observations, particularly the comment in respect of being aware of the specific needs of some groups of children when planning the provision.

2.     To note the importance of the travel provision to the college for young people in Dwyfor and Meirionnydd.

3.     To request that the Cabinet Member for Education contacts the Welsh Government in the context of introducing a free travel pass for young people 16-21 years old to reduce the pressure on the Council to provide free transport, and to facilitate travel to work, to college or sixth form.

 

Submitted - the report of the Cabinet Member for Education:

·         to explain the background and rationale for the historic overspending in education transport;

·         to report on progress and the actions that have been taken in response to the situation; as well as

·         to present options being considered in terms of future education transport arrangements to try to rationalise and reduce costs where practicable.

 

The Cabinet Member set out the context and then gave members the opportunity to ask questions and offer observations. 

 

It was noted that it was recognised that there was a shortage of taxis in the Meirionnydd area in particular and that this was bound to be generating high costs for the Council.  It was asked what was intended to be done in terms of that.  In response, it was noted:

·         That there was a shortage of transport providers in many areas which could lead to higher prices for provision as the driver or taxi had to travel from a greater distance to do the work.

·         That the report referred to a number of practical steps that could be taken in relation to the situation and that the Department was looking at all possible options going forward.

 

With reference to the programme of work in paragraph 4.1.1 of the report which refers to revisiting the transport arrangements of Additional Learning Needs learners, the Department was asked not to put these children and young people in a box and to acknowledge that they had different disabilities, and not just physical disabilities.  It was noted that children and young people with neurodiverse conditions needed to be considered, and to seek legal advice before formulating any criteria or plan for ALN learners.  In response, it was noted:

·         That the reference in the report to revisiting ALN learner transport arrangements was more to do with revisiting the timetable rather than the provision, so that provision could be tendered earlier for these children and young people in order to get the best price.

·         That in terms of the wider comment on ALN transport, the needs of all children had to be considered of course and it was not thought that that would change in any arrangements that were made, but possibly that we were looking at a different and slightly more cost effective way of providing transport in the future.

·         That a number of recent conversations had been held with Ysgol Hafod Lon in terms of identifying the needs of different children and identifying which children would be able to travel together, which children would not be suitable to do so and which children needed chaperones, etc.

 

It was noted that, looking at the plan, it had to be recognised that any minor change such as a taxi change could be harmful to ALN learners.  In response, it was noted that this was going to have to be addressed going forward to ensure that the needs of the learners on the journey were met which is why, when going out to tender, we needed to be clearer about our requirements and expectations for those learners.

 

The Cabinet Member noted that:

·         There was agreement with the comment that consideration also needed to be given to the needs of learners with neurodiverse conditions and that it was important to consult fully on this with experts in the field. 

·         Everything had to be done to avoid a negative impact on anyone, and to be flexible so that the routine could be adapted for individuals with different needs.

·         If change had to be introduced, that change was to be communicated clearly and phased in so that the learner had time to become familiar with the change, and also be involved in the consultation.

 

It was noted that there was concern in south Meirionnydd that young people may have to pay for transport to Coleg Meirion Dwyfor and that the bus timetables did not correspond to the college day.  In response, it was noted that there had been recent changes to the public transport timetables in Meirionnydd and that the Department would have to review the timetables again and see how locations could be better served in that part of the county.

 

Post-16 transport to the colleges was identified as being essential for young people in the Meirionnydd and Dwyfor area as there was no sixth form in the schools.  It was suggested that the Cabinet Member for Education be requested to contact the Welsh Government in the context of introducing a free travel pass for young people 16-21 years old to reduce the pressure on the Council to provide free transport, and to facilitate travel to work, to college or sixth form.  In response, the Cabinet Member indicated that he welcomed the request and that the young people of Gisda were also lobbying for a free travel pass to be introduced for young people.

 

With reference to paragraph 3.3 of the report, a further explanation regarding out-of-county transportation was requested.  In response, it was noted that a very small number of pupils with profound needs attended educational specialist provisions across north Wales, and some with very profound needs travelled further than that.  Taxi transport was provided to take them to the setting on Mondays and to bring them back home on Fridays.

 

It was asked why transport costs to special schools had doubled in a year.  In response, it was noted that that was due to an increase in child numbers and provider cost.

 

It was asked whether the Council provided any non-statutory transport.  In response, it was noted:

·         That the Council's empty seats scheme was a non-statutory scheme that allowed anyone wishing to have a seat that was empty to pay for it, but as it was possible that that seat would not be empty the following year, that created problems for families and young people in terms of consistency and continuity of transport for individuals.

·         That the other non-statutory element was the 16+ travel pass.

 

It was asked, as school budgets were under pressure, whether there was a risk that parents might try to move their children to a special school rather than keep them in a mainstream school, thereby creating more transport costs for the Authority.  In response, it was noted that access to special schools was about the needs of the children rather than the desire of the parents and that there was a moderation panel and a very rigorous process for determining access to those schools.

 

It was noted that paragraph 3.5 of the report referred to a tendering process every five years for bus provision, but that paragraph 4.2 reported that there had been re-tendering to save money.  It was asked whether that was fair to the local bus companies who had expected that their contract would last for five years.  In response, it was noted that:

·         As with any tender agreement, there was a clause within the documents that allowed the Council to re-tender the provision if circumstances changed, and that the providers were aware of those rights.

·         The Council did not break any rules.  There was possibly a knock-on effect on local companies, but the Council was required to provide a service in accordance with its needs.

 

It was asked whether it was possible to predict the extent of the reduction in child numbers over the term of the contract so that providers were aware when tendering that the demand for their service could diminish.  In response, it was noted that the Integrated Transport Unit could predict up to a point, but circumstances beyond the Council's control could also change, for example, changes to public bus routes could abolish the need for the service as a public bus followed a similar route.

 

On a point of accuracy, it was pointed out that two figures in the table in paragraph 3.7 of the report needed to be corrected, and that the Department would send the correct figures to members.

 

RESOLVED

1.         To accept the report, noting the observations, particularly the comment in respect of being aware of the specific needs of some groups of children when planning the provision.

2.         To note the importance of the travel provision to the college for young people in Dwyfor and Meirionnydd.

3.         To request that the Cabinet Member for Education contacts the Welsh Government in the context of introducing a free travel pass for young people 16-21 years old to reduce the pressure on the Council to provide free transport, and to facilitate travel to work, to college or sixth form.