Issue - meetings

Consideration was given to the report of the Corporate Director Education.

The Service Manager for Education and Business Change provided a detailed overview of the report and outlined the key points as noted in the report.

Concerns were raised around the travel distance for children and it was felt that additional resources should be available for school transport and a Member felt that this needed to be reviewed. The Officer advised that an extensive review had been undertaken and Blaenau Gwent’s existing limits are more generous than the statutory limits, however, the policy would be reviewed on an annual basis.

Further concerns were raised about public transport, which was late on occasions and the Service Manager for Education and Business Change advised that the Authority was aware of these issues and although the Authority only provided travel grants for pupils, the concerns had been escalated to the appropriate transport providers in order to address the issue.

The Committee AGREED that the report be accepted and approved the Policy in its current format, although it was recommended to the Executive that a review of the Policy be undertaken next year (Option 2).