Council spends nearly £6m on school taxis

A council spent more than £5.8m on taking children to and from school last year - including £20,000 on one child.

In response to a Freedom of Information request, Herefordshire Council said the money was spent on taxis for a total of 496 children, 204 of whom - more than 40% - did not have special education needs and disabilities (SEND).

Councils are obliged to offer free school transport to all children whose nearest school is more than three miles (4.8km) away, as well as SEND pupils.

A council budget report earlier this year acknowledged "significant pressures" in both mainstream and SEND school transport in Herefordshire and nationally.

Transport for the 204 children without SEND cost the council £1,236,465 over the year, averaging £6,061 per pupil.

The most expensive individual contract was £20,710 to take a child to and from school - a 23-mile (37km) roundtrip - over the course of a year.

It appears the remaining 292 SEND pupils therefore cost the council £4,567,757 over the year, averaging £15,643 per pupil.

The most expensive taxi contract for a SEND child was not given.

A County Councils Network (CCN) report in November cited the growing number of pupils with education, health and care plans (EHCPs), which has more than doubled in a decade, along with increases in more costly travel such as individual taxis and passenger assistants adding to the challenges faced by local authorities.

CCN projects that the cost of such "free" transport will reach £3.6bn a year nationally by 2030.

The Herefordshire budget report said the council "must manage increasing demand and cost pressures in transport services by identifying innovative strategies", including reducing reliance on such services, "employing digital technologies to consolidate routes", and investing in council-owned vehicles.

A new operating model for transport services is due to come into effect from next month, it said.

As well as providing free transport to children whose nearest school is more than three miles (4.8km) away, it also provided to those whose school is more than two miles (3km) away if they're under eight or on free school meals.

It is also available for children whose nearest school is oversubscribed and for children whose SEND or mobility issues mean they cannot walk there.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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