Proposals to provide free transport for children in Whitehawk who attend Longhill High School, in Rottingdean, are due to go before the council’s cabinet next month.
The proposals follow two years of lobbying by the campaign group Class Divide which said that not all youngsters in east Brighton qualify for free transport to and from secondary school.
Three years ago, in July 2021, more than 550 people signed a petition calling for free school transport to Longhill and a direct service to the Brighton Alridge Community Academy (BACA).
Most children of secondary school age in Whitehawk, Manor Farm and the Bristol Estate attend one of the two schools.
Brighton and Hove City Council has also been urged to fund a bus service that would cater for pupils wanting to attend after-school activities.
Class Divide said that hundreds of the poorest families in Brighton spend about £400 a year on bus fares per child.
Curtis James, of Class Divide, said: “We hope Brighton and Hove City Council is going to offer free school transport to all children in Whitehawk attending Longhill School when the cabinet meets in July.
“If so, this is a significant victory for our campaign and for the local parents who have long fought for affordable travel options.
“While we have not yet seen all the details of this proposed change, it appears to be a positive step forward in addressing the high costs of bus travel for low-income families.”
There remain unresolved issues for the campaigners such as the inconvenient early bus times that lengthen the school day for students.
There have also been criticisms about the lack of a direct bus route from Whitehawk to BACA.
Whitehawk lost its secondary school in Wilson Avenue when the East Brighton College of Media Arts – known as Comart – closed in 2005.
It was known as Marina High from 1997-99 and, when it opened in 1972, it was originally named Stanley Deason High School after a former mayor of Brighton and long-serving councillor.
As most pupils travel to school without their parents, they do not benefit from the “kids go free” scheme through the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), administered by the council but funded by the government.
Children must travel with an adult to benefit from the scheme which is until the end of March next year.
Another national scheme – the £2 flat fare for a single journey – lasts until the end of December and is funded exclusively by the government.
Full details of the council’s plans are due to be released five working days before the cabinet meeting on Thursday 18 July.
Given the obsession with unfit and overweight kids, along with building cycle lanes etc – why don’t the kids cycle to school ? Government and our Council all deploy “nudge” teams to get us all to cycle – but somehow children have to use motorised transport ?
I guess the argument I have heard before is one of safety on the streets. Drivers on Brighton aren’t known for their skill and perception.
So it is ok for adults and not secondary age kids ? Perhaps we need to bring back cycle and road training to the school curriculum?
Children are generally accepted as being more vulnerable road users, yes. Although, I think bringing back cycle and road training to the school curriculum is a good idea. I believe one of the TRAs has just won an Estate Development Bid to facilitate this idea with a track fairly recently?
Today the UK is £27 Trillion in debt. That is 27,000,000,000,000 pounds. Nearly the value of the whole UK economy.
But people want something else for free ?
Governments cannot give what they first have not taken away for somebody else, or as can we see borrowed on our behalf.
In short the UK is pretty much bankrupt.
60% of tax is paid by the top 10% of earners. 30% of tax is paid by the top 1% of earners.
If anyone thinks this is sustainable I would love to hear it.
Poor top 1%.
Well the problem is that they are leaving the country. In droves. So where’s the money coming from then – the middle and the lower as there won’t be anyone else.
Listening to that on the radio recently. About 98% of the countries value is borrowed against, or there abouts? Not purely a bad thing, because there such a thing as good debt Vs bad debts, but I do agree with your point that the council needs to remain frugal.
The council removed the 84,bus which picked at Whitehawk to rottingdean then the university of Sussex via university of Brighton a small 5 min walk to BACA, and return. This was also a good link for any one from Peacehaven to the University. There is also a campaign for a bus from Woodingdean to Falmer Station to get pupils to Lewes. The Big Lemon bus has been wanting to do this route for years.
Nothing stopping them bar subsidies I guess?
Something to consider is when the Big Lemon gets booted off the Gasworks site in Whitehawk, they lose access to their subsidised electric. Might make a difference to their willingness to run additional routes if their costs suddenly go up?
Yes Chris make children walk to Longhill and BACA. Maybe you can lead with a walking bus?