Following a public consultation and a political process, Monmouthshire County Council announced changes to its Home to School Transport Policy in September 2024. In line with its statutory duties, the policy changes were published by 1 October 2024 to take effect at the start of the 2025/26 academic year.

The decision was taken following a public consultation between 12 July 2024 and 23 August 2024. The consultation was promoted through the council’s website, social media channels and through a media release. Additionally, the School Transport team reached out to all learners who received home to school transport at the time to inform them about the consultation.

The process to amend the policy followed council procedure, which included consideration at the People Scrutiny Committee on 17 July 2024 and further consideration by the same Committee on 19 September 2024. The cabinet approved changes to the statutory distances for school transport on 25 September 2024.

Monmouthshire County Council’s current home to school provision is significantly in excess of its legal duty, and the cost of providing the service has continued to increase year on year due to increased demand and operator costs. The implementation of these changes was part of a cost-saving measure that would align the council with its statutory duties set out in the Learners Travel (Wales) Measures.

The council assesses walking routes for learners who live within two miles (primary) and three miles (secondary) of their school throughout the year. This is to ensure that all learners within these distances have a viable option to walk to and from school. The identified routes are the most direct options available to learners and are assessed in accordance with the Learner Travel Measure and GB Road Safety assessment guidelines.

Monmouthshire County Council’s Leader, Cllr Mary Ann Brocklesby, said: “The council is one of the last in Wales to go beyond the home to school transport distances required by law. By reverting to the statutory distances, we’ve been able to redirect this money into our schools to support education for all our learners. In truth, if we had the funding, we wouldn’t have done this; however, it is a result of a sustained period of underfunding for our public services. For the last three years in a row, we have faced increased annual cost pressures of over £20m. That’s 10% of our budget, year after year.”

The council’s Home to School Transport Policy is reviewed annually and published on its website. The policy will remain unchanged for the academic year 2026/27.

You can find out more about Home to School Transport here: www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/school-transport/