Consultation on Hampshire County Council’s Post-16 Transport Policy for 2023/24

The current Post-16 Transport Policy

The County Council is required by law to consult on its Post-16 Transport Policy every year.

The following is the only change to the Post-16 Transport Policy that is proposed for 2023/24:

To increase the parental contribution amount (explained in Section 3, page 2, of the current Post-16 Transport Policy) to the amounts shown below.

The proposed charges

2022/23 contribution

Proposed 2023/24 contribution

*The Distance to Travel is measured from the allocated pick-up point to the education establishment, measured using GIS mapping software.

Rationale

The Post 16 charge to parents is a partial contribution towards the overall transport costs.  Families in receipt of free school meals (due to low income) are not required to pay the contribution. No charge will be made for families that are in receipt of means-tested benefits such as

• Income Support;
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance;
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance;
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;
• the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit;
• Child Tax Credit (provided they’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190);
• Working Tax Credit run-on-paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit; or
• Universal Credit.

The actual costs for Post 16 transport are currently rising by 27.1% per annum. The proposal would mean parents continue to pay the same proportion of the total transport cost as they have previously.

Transport costs have risen significantly over and above inflation due to the increase in cost of living, increase in fuel prices and conditions in the marketplace. The transport market (bus and taxi) across the country is extremely challenging, with a national shortage of drivers and a significant reduction in competition, which are contributing factors to the overall increase in costs.

Families with a low income, but not in receipt of the above benefits, where the imposition of the charge would reduce their income to around £16,190; or those with exceptional circumstances, may apply for a discretionary waiver or reduction in charge.

Where a charge is made parents can choose to pay this as either an annual sum or spread across the three school/college terms.

How to have your say

This consultation is open from Monday 20 February 2023 and closes at 11:59pm on Sunday 2 April 2023*.

If you would like to comment on the proposed changes to the Post-16 Transport Policy for 2023/24, or give feedback on the potential impacts that this proposed policy could have on you, users of Post-16 Transport, people you know, or your organisation, group or business then please email [email protected]. You can also post your comments to:

School Transport Team
QEII North, 2nd Floor
Winchester
SO23 8UG

If you require a paper copy of the 2022/23 Post-16 Transport Policy, if you require it in another language or format, or if you have any queries about the consultation, please contact [email protected] or call: 01962 846925**

The consultation findings will be published and presented to the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services and Young People later in 2023, as part of the recommendations for the 2023/24 Post-16 Transport Policy.

Hampshire County Council operates a Zero Tolerance Policy towards harassment, discrimination, bullying and abuse. All County Council staff are entitled to be treated with respect by those they work with or for. Please be constructive and considerate in your response.

* Please note that responses received after this time will not be included in the consultation findings.

** Calls from a landline will be charged at the local rate, although mobile phone charges may vary.

Privacy Notice

Hampshire County Council is seeking your feedback on its proposed changes to the Council’s Post-16 Transport Policy for 2023/24. The information you provide in your response is being collected for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest in the exercise of official authority vested in the County Council, and for reasons of substantial public interest. We will use the information to understand views on, and impacts of, proposed changes to the Post-16 Transport Policy for 2023/24. All data will remain within the UK and will only be shared with third parties where they are undertaking data processing on behalf of Hampshire County Council. We will keep your personal information securely for one year, after which it will be deleted or destroyed.

You have some legal rights in respect of the personal information we collect from you. Please see our Data Protection page  for further details. You can contact the County Council’s Data Protection Officer at [email protected]. If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, you should raise your concern with us in the first instance or directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office.