County Council Charges for Student Travel
Posted on Friday 17th February 2012 00:00 by Keith
County Council Charges for Student Travel
At a time of universal financial difficulty, families will now be hit by transport charges they haven't had to pay previously, simply for their children to continue their education after they're 16. Even the poorest families will be charged £380 per year, while those who aren't on benefits will pay £500. The Conservative County Council plans to introduce these charges from September, having voted down the Liberal Democrat councillor group's amendment which found money in the budget to avoid imposing these charges.
Many young people will be discouraged from learning skills that could help them to get jobs in the future. Students who need specialist transport because of mobility problems or other special educational needs may have very hard choices to make unless they're wealthy. It's another barrier in their way to improving their life chances.
