OVER 2,400 people have signed a petition calling on Cornwall Council to overturn a decision to refuse free bus travel from Delabole to Sir James Smith’s School in Camelford, writes Suzanne Cleave.

In July 2017 parents from the Medrose end of Delabole received letters from Cornwall Council to the effect that their children would no longer be entitled to free transport to Sir James Smith’s School as they lived within three miles of the school entrance and as the route via the unmarked rural lane past Deli Farm had been assessed as ‘safe’ for pedestrians. 

The route (which had previously been assessed as unsuitable for pedestrians) was reassessed under a new council policy which was approved by the Cabinet in May 2016. This closely followed the national guidelines which were published in 2012. 

The parents quickly formed an action group and met with members of the parish council and the divisional member Cllr Dominic Fairman. As a result, the parents pulled together some common points and issues to form their appeals against the decision. 

While the appeals process was under way the parents were surprised to suddenly receive bus passes for 2017/18 in the post. It transpired that this was an administrative error and Cornwall Council honoured the mistake giving all of the children one more year of free transport. 

One year on and letters have once again been sent to parents with cases likely to come to the Appeals Committee on August 6. Should the decision be upheld children may be offered ‘paid’ spaces on the bus — however there is no guarantee that there will be enough available places.

Cllr Fairman said: “Of the £13-million schools transport budget over £8-million is spent on taxies for pupils who need to change or travel to school for special or emotional needs. This puts the whole system under considerable strain and with the new policy it was inevitable that some routes would be reassessed.

“I agree entirely with the parents and residents that this road is unsafe and having walked the route at 7am with some of the parents I was shocked to find cars speeding past us as we tried to press against the hedge.

“The national policy does not take any account of darkness because in most schools, even a three mile walk in winter would be in daylight for a 9.15am school day. However, Camelford school has a long-standing policy of starting the school day at 8.15am which will mean Delabole children walking in total darkness for much of the winter.”

He added: “Over the last few months I have worked with the school and the parish council to find a way to help the parents with their appeals. Having approached an independent traffic consultant, I was very pleased when the parish council agreed to fund a report and in his opinion the council assessment was flawed and the route unsafe.

“The national guidelines clearly state that: ‘In many rural areas, the exercise of continuous judgement is likely to be required.  No criteria can provide all the guidance or answers to every situation that may be encountered.’ 

“On some country roads the footway may not be continuous. Informed judgement will have to be made about the availability of ‘step off’ points. 

“I hope that the Appeals Committee will agree that a policy based strictly on national guidelines is bound to not work with our unique Cornish lanes and that there will be enough evidence for the committee to listen to the parent’s genuine concerns and overturn the decision allowing the children to continue to catch the bus.”

Claire Sleep, whose son attends Sir James Smith’s School, said it is the fourth year running that Cornwall Council have sent letters to parents of children living at one end of the village, informing them they are not going to offer a bus pass any more.

After going to stage 2 of the appeals process, it is now a waiting game, with the new term approaching.

“We’re just waiting. It’s like this every year. You don’t know whether you’re going to get a bus pass or not we’ve been fighting it for four years, just sort it out!”

A large number of villagers, young and old, recently walked the route to see for themselves just how unsuitable the route is.

Claire said: “The traffic along the route was terrible. We were walking along and you would expect them to slow down but they didn’t.”

For Delabole pupils expected to reach Sir Jim’s in time for the start of the school day, they would have to leave their homes at 7am, walk to the end of the village and then take the ’back road’ to Camelford, past Deli Farm and beyond. It took the walkers an hour and ten minutes.

Claire said: “I have walked it just to prove a point with the others of how dangerous it is. I wouldn’t choose to walk it. We were in the hedges. A skip lorry came past and we had to step back into the hedge.”

Parents are also concerned about their children having to walk the path during the winter months, when the road can be icy and muddy, with lots of overgrown trees. There is also very little mobile phone signal along the route, making it difficult to reach the emergency services if needed.

“It could have devastating consequences,” added Claire.

In total, 21 pupils are affected, but with more development possible for the village, more are expected to be affected in the future.

Claire praised everyone for the support given to parents, from the school, parish council, Cllr Fairman, and North Cornwall MP Scott Mann, who raised the issue in a recent sitting of Prime Minister’s Question Time.

Anyone wishing to sign the petition, a copy can be found in the Delabole Spar shop. Alternatively the online petition can be signed at www.change.org/p/cornwall-council-stupid-ruling-some-delabole-school-children-being-made-to-walk-to-camelford-for-schooling

So far, the online petition has generated over 2,400 signatures.

Claire said that although parents are hopeful the council will overturn the decision, many parents are planning to drive their children to the school if they cannot get a bus pass — meaning more vehicles on the roads.

“If you’ve got to walk from Delabole to Camelford with no street lighting or pavements, that’s a hell of an ask for a child. They’re just making life hard for parents and kids, because we’re the closest village.”

The safety of the children was raised in Parliament by Mr Mann.

Speaking in Prime Minister’s Questions, he described the dangerous conditions which pupils at Sir James Smith’s School will have to face as they walk three miles to school along narrow country lanes.

Specifically, Mr Mann said he was concerned about how children would have to walk in dark and wet conditions in the winter, with cars, lorries and tractors passing close by.

Under government guidelines, free school transport must be provided to children over eight years old if they live more than three miles from school. The council deem the distance to school for children in Delabole to be three miles, but this is based on the assumption that they walk along the shortest route along narrow country lanes.

Responding to the concerns, the Prime Minister said: “We are committed to recognising the responsibilities that local authorities have on these matters and we’ve been providing them with the funding they need. We’ve increased the funding for Cornwall for 2019/20 by over £12-million since 2015/16.

“It is a matter for the local authority to decide how to spend their funding and to make decisions on local matters, but I agree with him and would encourage local authorities that in doing that, they are absolutely taking into account the wishes and concerns of the communities they serve, including the community of Delabole.”

Speaking after Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Mann said: “One important part of education delivery in a rural area like Cornwall is that children can get to school safely. By refusing Delabole children free transport, Cornwall Council is risking their welfare. The distance that they have to walk is very far, but the distance in a bus is very small.

“The children live just under the three mile threshold from school, which is calculated using the shortest possible route, which is comprised of narrow country lanes that are a real hazard in the summer let alone in the winter.

“That’s why I have brought this issue to the attention of the Prime Minister, and I hope her words, and the campaigning by local parents will make the council reconsider their decision.”

A spokesman for Cornwall Council said: “National policy and statutory requirements determine who is eligible for free home to school transport. Unfortunately the council can’t subsidise free school to home transport for all children. Like other local authorities we face huge pressures on our school transport budget, which means that we can only provide transport when children live over a certain distance from their school.

“In this case, two assessments of the walking route to and from school have been undertaken in accordance with the national requirements and have found it is suitable for pedestrian use.

“There is a robust appeals process in place for any parent or carer who feels that the Home to School Transport policy has not been applied correctly or that there are exceptional circumstances under which transport should be provided.”