Council slammed for cutting school bus service

Richard Evans, local democracy reporter

Concerned parents have slammed their local council for cutting a free bus service for secondary school pupils, claiming children will be forced to walk on rural roads without pavements.

Cash-strapped Conwy County Council cancelled the free bus service transporting children to and from Ysgol Bryn Elian to Llysfaen as part of budget cuts.

Now angry parents have criticised the decision which means children must make alternative travel arrangements, or walk to school on roads with sections that don’t have pavements.

Whilst the council provides free school transport for children living three miles away from school, many who live closer must pay or find their own way, but parents of children in Llysfaen say the difference is only 0.2 miles.

Cut

Conwy controversially announced its home-to-school transport cuts this week. Resident and dad Neil Hart is leading the campaign.

“The village of Llysfaen falls into the catchment area of Bryn Elian School, despite being around 2.8 miles away with a difference in elevation of over 500ft,” he said.

“The official cut-off distance point for a council in Wales to provide school transport is three miles, but distance is not the only consideration.

“For as long as anyone can remember, the council have provided free school transport for Llysfaen as the walking route was deemed too hazardous for children, with Llysfaen surrounded and made up of rural roads without pavements for pedestrians.

“On 10 July 2024, Conwy County Borough Council sent out letters to Llysfaen parents, stating that the bus service would cease at the end of this term as the walking route was deemed no longer hazardous. There was no advance warning that this might be happening, and there was no consultation with either pupils, parents, or the school.”

Pavements 

Neil then explained there were several roads on the route to school that didn’t have pavements.

“Sections of Clobryn Road and Bron y Llan Road don’t have pavements. The council’s main motivation is funding. If children were to walk to school, it would take over an hour on roads that don’t have pavements,” said Neil.

“We, the parents of Llysfaen, strongly disagreed with the decision and asked to see the new Risk Assessments that had led to this decision.”

Neil added: “I am a Chartered Health and Safety Professional, and I work with various councils across the UK. I have reviewed the Conwy Council Walked Route Assessments that have led to the termination of the school bus service, and it is my professional opinion that the assessments are flawed. The risk assessment process was not suitable and sufficient.

“I conducted my own partial risk assessments and concluded that the walking routes are definitely not safe for children to walk on. I have presented my findings to CCBC, but I have had no response.”

Clwyd West MS Darren Millar is backing the residents’ campaign.

Unacceptable

He said: “Plans to axe this home to school transport are totally unacceptable and will pose a significant challenge to local families.

“Many will be left struggling to find and fund alternative arrangements, particularly given the lack of capacity of local bus services.

“The route between Llysfaen and Ysgol Bryn Elian is not straightforward and poses hazards, particularly in inclement weather given the topography of the route, and lack of a pedestrian crossing on Llanelian Road.”

He added: “While I appreciate the local authority is having to consider the budget implications of home-to-school transport arrangements, this is clearly the wrong decision. I have made representations to the local authority to urge them to urgently rethink their decision.”

Speaking on behalf of Conwy County Council, Cllr Julie Fallon, cabinet member for education, said: “This route has been reassessed, and it’s no longer classed as hazardous.

“We’ve written to the parents/carers whose children currently receive free transport on this route to let them know that from September 2024 we will no longer be able to provide the service and that it will be parental responsibility to ensure children travel to and from school safely.

“Pupils currently receiving statutory home-to-school transport are not affected by this change.”