‘Why are we paying to bus students out of the county?’

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

A u-turn on a decision to stop paying out of Powys travel expenses to 16-19 year-old students has “really annoyed” a councillor.

Following criticism in a consultation held in June and July. a proposal to stop paying these travel expenses is set to be dropped.

Powys County Council (PCC) spends around £10 million a year on school transport, but the change of advice means the £75,000 saving expected from to the Home to School Transport policy will not now materialise.

At the Learning and Skills scrutiny committee members on Monday, members looked the draft policy following the consultation.

But it’s the principal that has irked Cllr Sandra Davies who said: “I find the u-turn really disappointing.”

Cllr Davies, said “What we are actually doing is using money that is coming in from Welsh Government to bus young people out of county and even out of Wales in to England.

“Where is the Powys pound on this?

“We are spending £75,000 on individuals we don’t have any need to.”

Finance and transport portfolio holder, Cllr Aled Davies replied: “It has always been part of the transport policy to do so.

“Possibly, when we have a better (educational) offer we may be able to make that saving.”

He pointed at the schools’ transformation that is set to happen during the next decade which includes re-jigging sixth forms in the county.

“Hopefully there will be no need to travel outside of Powys in the future,” said Cllr Davies.

But Cllr Sandra Davies believed that the policy makers should not have been swayed by such a small number of people.

She said: “333 individuals responded to the consultation, that’s really a drop in the ocean when you consider how many people are in Powys and could have responded.

“And it was about 60% of those who were against it. I don’t think that’s very valid when it comes to us as custodians of the Powys purse. We’re not taking decisions and sticking to them, I’m really annoyed.”

Cllr (Aled) Davies, said: “The purpose of the consultation is to go out and engage and listen.

“We take on board the views, there are some for and against, and the cabinet will have to balance those views of what the policy will be. We will never please everybody.”

Head of transformation and communications, Emma Palmer, told members that there may be a need to look at the transport policy every year as the school transformation programme ramps up.

It is expected that cabinet will make a decision at a meeting later this month, and the new policy will come into force in September 2021.