Cumbria County Council

Integrated Transport TeamThe Lonsdale BuildingThe Courts

Carlisle CumbriaCA3 8NA

T: 0333 240 6965F: 01228 226016E:

To all Year 11 students and their parents/carers in Cumbria

9 December 2013

Dear Parent / Student

SCHOOL/COLLEGETRANSPORTFOR YEAR 12 STUDENTS FROM SEPTEMBER 2014

As you may know, Cumbria County Council is currently consulting on a range of savings proposals because its budget will be reduced by 25% between 2010 and 2017. It needs to find £80m in savings during the next three years.

This letter is to make all current Year 11 students and their parents/carers fully aware of one of the savings proposals that may directly affect them should they continue into Post-16 education from September 2014.

The County Council has no statutory duty to provide transport to students in Years 12 and 13. The Council currently offers subsidised school/college transport to eligible students in Years 12 and 13, whereby they can pay £350 per year for a place on a school/college bus. Year 11students and under, provided they meet our eligibility criteria (such as distance from school and catchment status), are entitled by law tofree transport.

The average cost to the County Council of its subsidised school/college transportprovision for Years 12 and 13 students is £1,200 a year per student, yet it charges only £350. Removing this subsidised rate for Years 12 and 13 students (other than those who qualify for free school travel through the Student Support Fund for low-income families and those with a medical or special educational needs assessment) would save an estimated £1m per full academic year. The County Council has therefore included the removal of this non-statutory function in September 2014 as a proposal (Proposition 19) in its current budget consultation.

If the proposal is approved, the County Council will continue to offer the £350 subsidised service to current Year 12 students during their final year of study in 2014/15. But students commencing their Year 12 studies in the academic year 2014/15 will not be eligible to receive transport via the County Council unless they meet low-income or specialneeds/medical criteria.

Serving the people of Cumbria

cumbria.gov.uk

This means that non-eligible families will need to make their own arrangements for travelling to school/college, unless their school or college makes its own provision.

I hope the above information helps to advise you of the proposition and helps you to consider your choices for a suitable school or college from September 2014.

The County Council is encouraging all Cumbria residents to respond to its budget consultation before the response deadline of 20 January 2014 and you can do that either by visiting or by picking up a copy of the consultation document from local libraries. You can also email your opinions directly to , call 01228 226601 or write (marking your envelope ‘Budget Consultation’) to:

Freepost NWW6059A
Our Area, Our Future
Cumbria County Council
The Courts
Carlisle
CA3 8NA

Yours sincerely

Rob Terwey

Senior Manager – Integrated Transport