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No change to free school bus policy, says council

Twm Owen
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Getty Images The front of a bus, it is yellow and has the words school bus in white on the front. There is also a sign on the front depicting two children. There are buildings in the background of the bus.Getty Images
Monmouthshire county council's current offer gives free travel for pupils who live 1.5 miles or more from their primary and two miles from their secondary school

A council that is removing free bus passes to some 300 children in September is not planning any changes to its next home-to-school transport policy.

The move by Monmouthshire County Council will see it comply with Welsh government guidelines.

Under the new policy, free passes will only be offered to secondary school pupils who live three miles or more from their school and two miles for primary pupils.

The council's current offer is more generous, as it provides free travel for children who live 1.5 miles or more from their primary and two miles from their secondary school.

The changes have been confirmed by the council which said providing free transport to pupils who live below the Welsh government's statutory distances was becoming unaffordable due to rising demand and operator costs.

Mary Ann Brocklesby, the council's Labour leader, said as a result it had protected funding for schools.

She said Monmouthshire was one of the last local authorities in Wales to go beyond the home-to-school transport distances required by law.

"By reverting to the statutory distances, we've been able to redirect this money into our schools to support education for all our learners," she said.

"In truth, if we had the funding, we wouldn't have done this, however, it is a result of a sustained period of underfunding for our public services."

At a council meeting, Louise Brown, Conservative councillor for Shirenewton, asked if the policy - which has to be reviewed each year - had been delayed because no proposals for the 2026/27 policy were included in a list of forthcoming decisions.

Laura Wright, the Labour cabinet member for education, said the Welsh government was due to consult on guidance on learner travel and that the council would not alter its policy for 2026-27 while the guidance was under review.

Brown asked if parents would be notified that no changes would be made to the policy for the 2026-27 school year, and council transport chief Deborah Hill-Howells said the council website would be updated and all parents would be emailed.

Councils have to consult on home-to-school transport policies in the autumn term of the school year, before they come into force.

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