• About
    • Ethics policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Ownership, funding and corrections
    • Complaints procedure
    • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Newsletter
Brighton and Hove News
21 June, 2025
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Opinion
    • Community
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Food and Drink
  • Sport
    • Brighton and Hove Albion
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Opinion
    • Community
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Food and Drink
  • Sport
    • Brighton and Hove Albion
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
Brighton and Hove News
No Result
View All Result
Home Brighton

Home to school transport panel to hear latest update from independent review

by Frank le Duc
Saturday 22 Feb, 2020 at 10:36AM
A A
2
School transport consultants given £500k contract to cut £300k from service

A second meeting to discuss the current issues with home to school transport for children with special needs and disabilities is due to take place early next month.

At the first meeting, on Thursday 23 January, a panel of six Brighton and Hove City Council members heard from parents, teachers, governors and taxi bosses about problems plaguing the service.

Areas of concern included drivers transporting children and young people without key information about their medical conditions, escorts without criminal record checks and the spiralling cost of staff and taxis.

At the January meeting Downs View School head teacher Adrian Carver told the panel that he had employed an extra member of staff to co-ordinate traffic in and out of the school car park as well as investing in walkie-talkies and high-vis clothing.

Taxi boss Andrew Cheesman said that drivers were operating “on a wing and a prayer” when it came to having vital information about children’s behavioural, emotional and medical needs.

So far this financial year there is a £969,000 overspend on transporting children with special educational needs to schools and colleges across Brighton and Hove after a “dynamic purchasing system” came into operation for the start of the autumn term.

The contract with Edge Public Solutions was supposed to save the council money after a £210,000 overspend under the old system last year for what was a £2.4 million service.

It resulted at the start of the school year in 30 children being left without transport to school after operators handed routes back to the council.

Teaching and support staff from schools also lost time in the classroom as they were escorting youngsters into and out of school buildings rather than relying on the escorts.

The council’s Home to School Transport Policy Panel is continuing to look into the ongoing problems with the service as well as receiving an update on an independent inquiry into what went wrong.

The independent review team was at the council for three days from Tuesday 28 January.

The review team is made up of Kevin Hall, director of childrens’ services at East Riding Council, George Gillmore, a special school head teacher who is also a local authority officer and Ofsted inspector, Dr Jackie Lown, East Riding head of service and Ofsted inspector, Janine Walker, head of special educational needs from Nottingham, and Angela Kawa, Local Government Association programme manager.

The policy panel is chaired by Green councillor Hannah Clare and is made up of two councillors from each of the three main parties on the council.

It is due to meet in the auditorium of the Brighthelm Centre on Tuesday 3 March. The meeting is scheduled to start at 2pm and should be held in public.

ShareTweetShareSendSendShare

Comments 2

  1. Pippa Hodge says:
    5 years ago

    So the next meeting is at 2pm? That is a really difficult time for Parent Carers, Schools Professionals or Taxi Bosses to attend as it’s the run up to school collections. We asked specifically for the next Public Meeting to be held at a more convenient time, for precisely this reason. This ongoing issue is of huge concern as we begin to wonder what else is in store for the coming September. The whole point of the Policy Panel was that it would be apolitical, above the LA and totally transparent. This is the second open meeting, after the first was held privately. If the Council are genuine about being transparent and accountable, then they need to start by ensuring that these public meetings are accessible to those who need or want to be present. Pippa Hodge Co-ordinator T21 Brighton & Hove & HTST Campaigner

    Reply
  2. Katy Carr says:
    5 years ago

    Why is this disastrous situation being allowed to continue for so long? Parents should consider a class action judicial review application, funded by legal aid in their children’s names.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Most read

Condemned: 8 council blocks of flats face demolition

Crash closes A27 in both directions

Nine Inch Nails at the top of their game

Conspiracy theorist guilty of shoving trans activist

Brighton man jailed for years of abusing girls starting when he was just 10

Duo sought in connection with bag theft

Fake Uber driver convicted of kidnap and sex attacks for second time

Home to school transport panel to hear latest update from independent review

Tough decisions steer council finances into the black

Councillors to debate ways to manage Airbnbs

Newsletter

Arts and Culture

  • All
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Food and Drink
‘Nice To See You’ Thistle.

‘Nice To See You’ Thistle.

20 June 2025
You aren’t doing it wrong (if no one knows what you are doing)

You aren’t doing it wrong (if no one knows what you are doing)

20 June 2025
Cruel Intentions – 90s Nostalgia and A Great Story

Cruel Intentions – 90s Nostalgia and A Great Story

20 June 2025
Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus know how to party!

Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus know how to party!

20 June 2025
Load More

Sport

  • All
  • Brighton and Hove Albion
  • Cricket
Brighton and Hove Albion sign Italy international

Brighton and Hove Albion sign Italy international

by Frank le Duc
17 June 2025
0

Brighton and Hove Albion have signed a 21-year-old Italy international to add to the Seagulls’ defensive options. Diego Coppola has...

Sussex Sharks open T20 Blast with a win

Sussex Sharks stay top of their group with T20 triumph at Glamorgan

by Blake Bint - ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
14 June 2025
0

Glamorgan 172 (18.5 overs) Sussex 199-7 (20 overs) Sussex won by 27 runs. Sussex 4 points, Glamorgan 0 points. Sussex...

Sussex Sharks open T20 Blast with a win

Rain saves Sussex Sharks in T20 against Essex at Hove

by Adrian Colley
13 June 2025
0

Sussex 23-3 (3.1 overs) Essex 177-4 (17 overs) No result Essex’s hopes of claiming their first win of the season...

Brighton and Hove Albion announce Kostoulas signing

Brighton and Hove Albion announce Kostoulas signing

by Frank le Duc
12 June 2025
0

Brighton and Hove Albion have announced the signing of 18-year-old striker Charalampos Kostoulas from Greek champions Olympiacos on a five-year...

Load More
February 2020
M T W T F S S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
242526272829  
« Jan   Mar »

RSS From Sussex News

  • Sex attacker’s victim died days after court ordered retrial 19 June 2025
  • Jury convicts fake Uber driver of kidnap and sex attacks for second time 19 June 2025
  • A27 closed in both directions after crash 19 June 2025
  • Hospital trust agrees six-figure payout after seven-year battle over traumatic birth 17 June 2025
  • CPS drops rape case against Sussex Police officer 17 June 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy
  • Complaints
  • Ownership, funding and corrections
  • Ethics
  • T&C

© 2023 Brighton and Hove News

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Opinion
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
  • Sport
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Contact

© 2023 Brighton and Hove News