We are seeking people’s views on a proposed change to the policy we use to provide young people aged 16-19 with free transport to access further education, college or training.
We are not legally obliged to pay or arrange this transport, but we currently provide this discretionary service to more than 100 young people across the borough.
These young people have special educational needs, or a disability and we understand the value of providing transport to help them achieve the best possible start in life.
However, we are experiencing an increasing demand for this service and the cost of meeting this demand is significantly exceeding the budget we have available for providing post 16 transport.
We are proposing changes to our policy to ensure that those young people who have the greatest need continue to receive assistance within the limited budget and, wherever possible, to support young people to develop independent travel skills.
If the changes are approved following a consultation period, they would come into effect for young people seeking assistance from September 2025.
Young people who currently receive assistance would not be affected by the proposed change unless their current circumstances change.
We would like all residents to consider the proposals and give us their views. Further details and a short survey can be found at: