Council to spend £22m annually on school bus service

A recent Freedom of Information request has revealed that West Northamptonshire Council expects its home-to-school transport services to cost over 22 million this year. The data, provided to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, shows an increase of nearly 7 million compared with the 2022-2023 financial year, primarily driven by higher demand for services.

The council's priciest single contract was reported at 56,050 annually for transporting one child 190 miles (305 km) to school twice weekly. A spokesperson for the Reform UK-led council confirmed that several strategies are being explored to manage the rising expenses. Measures include enhancing data management and experimenting with new initiatives such as the Billing Brook home-to-school pilot, a virtual reality program designed to build confidence in pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to use public transport.

The council also emphasized that the increase in transport costs reflects a nationwide trend. The FOI request showed that the service currently supports 6,842 children, up from 5,930 in 2022-2023. The largest growth was among SEND students, with an additional 612 children (a 59% rise) using the transport service, alongside 300 more non-SEND pupils.

Local authorities are required to provide free school transport for children aged 4-16 whose nearest school is more than three miles away. West Northamptonshire extends this provision to children under eight who live over two miles from school and some students over 16 with an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) who cannot reasonably walk to their nearest suitable school. Families of children over 16 or those not meeting the distance criteria are asked to contribute 1,000 per academic year for council-organized transport. This fee was frozen last year, after previously rising from 600 in 2023-2024, and is currently under review for the next budget year.

National Audit Office research indicates that spending on home-to-school transport by local authorities has surged by 70% since 2015-2016, totaling 2.3 billion in 2023-2024.

Analysis: Rising Costs of Home-to-School Transport in West Northamptonshire

The recent disclosure of transportation costs for West Northamptonshire Council provides a clear picture of the challenges local governments face in managing the demand for home-to-school services. With a £22 million expenditure forecast for the current year, a nearly £7 million increase compared to the previous year, the sharp rise in costs signals a broader trend across the country. The largest contributing factor is the higher demand for these services, particularly among children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The council's expenditure includes a costly contract of £56,050 per year to transport a single child over 190 miles twice a week. While this is an extreme example, it highlights the disproportionate costs faced by local authorities when meeting the needs of pupils with complex requirements. The council's response, exploring solutions like the Billing Brook home-to-school pilot, demonstrates an effort to innovate in the face of rising costs. However, it remains to be seen whether such pilot programs will provide sustainable, long-term solutions.

Nationally, spending on home-to-school transport has been on the rise, with the National Audit Office reporting a 70% increase since 2015-2016. This increase, totaling £2.3 billion in 2023-2024, underscores the pressure local authorities are under to balance the financial constraints of these essential services with the growing demand. West Northamptonshire's strategies, including improving data management and experimenting with new initiatives, reflect an attempt to mitigate rising costs, but the challenge of maintaining affordable and effective services remains significant.

Sources:

• School bus service to cost council £22m a year