Changes to school transport have been agreed by a council that wants to reduce costs. 

Rutland County Council's cabinet, led by Gale Waller (Lib Dem – Normanton), agreed the new home-to-school policy today (Wednesday, May 21). 

It included the removal of travel assistance for post-16 children – meaning most will have to pay to get to college if they cannot walk there. 

Children who live with separated parents at two different addresses will no longer receive transport for both. 

And those who change school in a 'managed move' – often used by schools before exclusion – will have a review after 10 weeks, at which they may then have to pay for transport if it is not the nearest school. 

Personal travel budgets for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will be introduced, putting parents in charge of arranging their own transport for their child. 

The majority of the new measures will come in from September. 

In a report to the cabinet, council officers said Government guidance on school transport has changed and more children are receiving travel assistance. 

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Costs have more than doubled in the past six years, and for SEND children it had increased by 259%. The number of children recognised as having SEND in a Rutland school setting has also increased, and was 367 in the 2023/24 year. 

Rutland County Council overspent its home-to-school transport budget by £800,000, shelling out £3.97million on buses and taxis.