Free school travel for SEND teenagers under threat

Free travel for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) could soon end, as a council says it faces significant financial pressures.

Swindon Borough Council is consulting on whether it should introduce an annual fee for its SEND home-to-school transport service, for young people aged 16 to 18.

The service is currently provided free of charge, but the council says this is not required by law and they receive no government funding to deliver it.

Kate Tomlinson, of Swindon Borough Council, said: "We're operating in a challenging financial climate, but it is vital that we hear from those affected so their feedback can be carefully considered before any final decisions are taken."

A public consultation has opened on the proposals and no final decisions will be made until later this year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

Michelle Lloyd is a SEND parent and founder of Beacon Advocacy in Swindon, which supports families of children with additional needs. She told BBC Radio Wiltshire there are feelings of "dismay and worry" at the idea free travel could be revoked.

"This is not necessarily going to be affordable for the majority of parents," she said.

Lloyd added it should not be up to parents to "make up" the additional costs around SEND provision and she suggested more government funding could "plug that gap".

At the moment, 115 students in Swindon between the ages of 16 and 18 receive the service.

If approved, young people using the service would pay an annual contribution from September 2027, which the council said brings Swindon "in line with many other local authorities."

A previous consultation took place in January last year, gathering feedback from families and professionals.

The current consultation is now live on the Swindon Local Offer website and will remain open until Monday, October 26.

Jim Robbins, leader of the Labour group in Swindon, said: "I know many families will be very concerned about these proposals, which is why it's so important that everyone affected has their say through the consultation.

"We really hope no decisions have been made, and that the feedback the Council receives will help shape any future arrangements," he added.

Sara Godwin, leader of Reform UK in Swindon, said her group supports the proposals "in principle".

She said: "There must also be a clear, fair and accessible appeals process for families facing exceptional circumstances or genuine financial hardship, including those who fall just outside the free-school-meals criteria."

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