Lib Dems demand school transport decisions are scrapped over measurement scandal

North Yorkshire Liberal Democrats are calling on North Yorkshire Council to scrap any school transport decision, where an out-of-county school has been deemed nearer than a suitable school within North Yorkshire, following the council’s admission that it has used inconsistent methods to measure school distances.

The group says those decisions should be treated as null and void, with transport granted immediately rather than leaving families to fight through an appeals backlog which is currently expected to run into November.

The council has acknowledged that different approaches were used when measuring out-of-county schools. The Liberal Democrats say families should not now have to prove, case by case, whether the error affected their entitlement.

With schools returning next week, North Yorkshire Liberal Democrats are demanding that the council:

• Immediately grant transport where an out-of-county school was deemed nearer than a suitable North Yorkshire school.
• Clear the appeals backlog by removing the need for affected families to continue appealing.
• Backdate the remedy to include families who were wrongly denied transport last year because of the council’s own measurement error.
• Explain how the error happened, who knew about it and why families and councillors were not told.

Councillor Andrew Murday, Liberal Democrat councillor for Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale, said:

“The council made the mistake and families should not be made to pay the price for it. If an out-of-county school was judged to be nearer using a measurement method that the council now accepts was inconsistent, that decision cannot be allowed to stand.

“The council should declare those cases null and void, grant transport and clear the appeals backlog. Parents should not have to spend months fighting a decision that may have been based on the council’s own error.”

Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Peter Lacey said:

“This is about putting the situation for families right, not asking them to jump through more hoops. If the council’s mistake contributed to families losing transport, the fairest response is to correct the decisions - including those made last year.

“The council has the information, and it has the discretion. What it needs now is the will to act.”

The Liberal Democrats say justice for affected families cannot wait for the council’s wider post-implementation review in September. With the new school year beginning next week, they are demanding immediate action.