Issue - meetings

To assist Members, the following documents are attached:-

• Copy of the report of the Director of Lifelong Learning – Home to School Transport Policy Changes – Denominational Transport
• Copy of the Record of Decision
• Copy of the Call In Notice

That having considered the decision, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was still concerned about it and thus referred the decision back to Cabinet.  

The Chairman referred to the Call-In to the decision of the Cabinet  from its meeting held on 21 May 2013 relating to Home to School Transport Policy Changes – Denominational Transport.  The Call-In notice had been signed by six Members of the Council.  To assist Members, the following documents had been circulated with the agenda:

            (a)     A copy of the procedure for dealing with a called in item.

            (b)     A copy of the report considered by Cabinet on 21 May 2013.

            (c)     A copy of the Cabinet Record of Decision No.2854.

            (d)     A copy of the Call In notice  signed by Councillors A.J. Davies-Cooke, H.T. Isherwood, C. Legg, D.I. Mackie, N.R. Steele-Mortimer and A. Woolley.

            The Member Engagement Manager outlined the procedure for dealing with a

called–in item.

The Chairman invited the Call-In signatories to address the Committee.  Councillor N.R. Steele-Mortimer, as spokesperson for the signatories, detailed the reasons for the Call-In.  He said that a report seeking Members’ views on the proposed changes to discretionary school transport policy; namely post 16 and transport to denominational schools, had been considered at a meeting of the Committee held on 14 March 2013.  The Committee resolved that the Cabinet Member be asked to reconsider the proposals in view of the issues and concerns raised during the meeting and that a further report be submitted to the Committee for  consideration.  However, the request had not been acted on and the matter had been considered at the meeting of Cabinet on 21 May 2013.  He expressed concern that the role and responsibility of Overview and Scrutiny in such matters seemed to have been ignored in this specific case.

Councillor Steele-Mortimer referred to the good response to the public consultation exercise which had been held with all stakeholders, however, there had been some misunderstandings during the process and he expressed the view that it was flawed.  He said that a majority of 85% had not agreed with the proposals put forward and their views should be acted on. 

Councillor Steele-Mortimer commented on the similarity between denominational transport and Welsh Language education facilities and said there was little difference between them.  He emphasised that the issues raised by the signatories concerned the transport policy not the schools admissions policy.  In his summary Councillor Steele-Mortimer outlined the further concerns of the signatories by stating that the proposed policy was discriminatory against those parents and guardians who wished their children to have religious based education but did not have the transport or personal means to send their children to the school.

The Chairman asked the signatories of the call in if they had any further comments or observations to make.

Councillor D.I. Mackie said he had been contacted by a number of parents who had expressed a preference to have their children educated in a faith based school.  He referred to the work undertaken by a Task and Finish Group on this issue and said it had been determined that free transport to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Education introduced the report which was to consider the outcome of the consultation on proposed changes to the discretionary denominational home to school transport policy.

In November 2012 Cabinet agreed to commission consultation regarding two discretionary aspects of the school transport policy, namely post 16 and transport to denominational schools.  The policy review identified changes intended to produce a fair, equitable and sustainable transport policy.  Consultation was carried out from 1 March to 12 April 2013 and the outcome of the consultation on proposed changes to the post 16 transport policy was considered by Cabinet on 23 April 2013 when it was agreed that the policy be amended to reduce the number of sites to which free school transport was to be provided from September 2013. 

Free school transport was currently provided under the existing policy for pupils to attend their nearest denominational school, subject to meeting the distance criteria.  The proposed change would result in free transport being stopped for pupils who were not of the same denomination as the school, starting with new admissions in September 2014.  Suitable evidence of adherence to the faith of the school might be required to support an application for free transport.  Since denominational schools were “aided” schools and therefore had responsibility for their own admissions, consultation with individual schools would take place to confirm the admission criteria under which pupils were admitted.  Similar proof such as a baptismal certificate or a letter from a priest may be required to prove eligibility for free transport.

Transport policies of several Welsh Local Authorities and many in England either restricted free transport to denominational schools or did not provide it at all and examples were provided.

During the consultation period, a total of 638 responses were received.  The Cabinet Member for Education provided details of many of the issues raised and gave full responses, details of which were contained within the report.

In summary, the Cabinet Member said that Flintshire County Council was seeking to act reasonably in proposing to maintain transport for pupils currently eligible and in future for those pupils who could provide suitable evidence of adherence to the faith of the school and meet the distance criteria.  In addition, he advised that a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document had been produced alongside the consultation and was appended to the report and available on the website.

The Director of Lifelong Learning said the proposal was emotive and he gave assurance that the Council was committed to working closely with the Dioceses and faith schools to achieve the best for the children of Flintshire. 

He added that a Task and Finish Group had been set up by the Lifelong Learning Overview & Scrutiny Committee and the proposals had received cross party support for the recommendations.  Nothing within the proposals affected the responsibilities for admissions or respect for families’ faith within education.  The focus was entitlement for discretionary transport.

The Cabinet Member for Housing supported the recommendations and said parents could make  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7