Carers Leeds Voices Concerns Over Post-16 Transport in Leeds

We have concerns about the changes to post 16 transport policy in Leeds and the impact on parent carers and young people. We understand the financial pressures Leeds City Council are under but would urge you to reconsider this policy change.

This policy change impacts on some of our most vulnerable learners. Not being able to access specialist transport to school or college will cause unnecessary stress and anxiety and, in some cases, will prevent young people being able to access education opportunities.

As an organisation working with unpaid carers in Leeds, we are particularly concerned about the impact on parent carers. Carers Leeds regularly speaks to parent carers who are already at breaking point. Parent carers are more likely to experience physical and mental ill health and poverty, because of their caring role, than people who are not caring. This is evidenced by a large body of local and national research including these recent reports:

These changes to the post 16 transport policy have the potential to place an additional burden on parent carers: 

• Impact on already squeezed household income – where changes mean that there will be no contribution to the cost of travel or a travel allowance that doesn’t cover the actual cost of travel, parent carers will have increased costs. Alternatives to specialist or public transport are expensive.

• Impact on parent carer’s ability to work – where changes mean a young person will need to be driven to school or accompanied on public transport, this impacts on parent carers’ ability to work. This may mean parent carers have to reduce their hours or give up work. This impacts on household income and carer health and wellbeing.
• Impact on carer mental health and wellbeing – reduced household income and inability to work, all have an impact on mental health and wellbeing. Furthermore, these are families who are already under immense pressure, juggling complex lives – work, education, family life, appointments – this policy change adds another pressure to day-to-day life.

There is an increasing amount of evidence of the negative impact of this change in policy, both in Leeds and other parts of the country where similar policies have been implemented. We have heard from parent carers in Leeds directly and the potential impact of this policy change:  

I will have to give up work and college and take him and bring him back by bus or car as I car share with my parents. I have a condition where I sometimes can’t drive, and I’m laid in bed for a full day. This will put more financial stress on me as a single parent. It will be 6 buses a day for me to get him there and back.  We tried it before transport was given and we were both exhausted.  

Parent Carer

We already have flexible working agreements with our employers to cover after school and holiday care. Keeping our jobs if transport was removed would likely be unsustainable, most likely leading to financial hardship for our children if we could not keep our jobs due to getting our children to and from school.  

Any personal travel allowance for taxis would not cover the estimated £5700 for taxis in a 195-day school year. And we would still need to escort them. 

Parent Carer

For further insights, see recent research and reports by:

Contact – Transport Matters

NATSPEC – The State of Post 16 Transport

Derby City Council case