Consultation on Hampshire County Council’s Post-16 Transport Policy for 2024/25

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Hampshire County Council is seeking residents’ and stakeholders’ views on its proposed Post-16 Transport Policy for 2024/25

Please note: Hampshire County Council is also consulting separately on its School Transport Policy, between Monday 30 October 2023 and 11:59pm on Wednesday 6 December 2023. Take part in the School Transport Consultation.

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 changes to the Post-16 Transport Policy are proposed for 2024/25:

1) To increase the parental contribution amount (explained in Section 3, page 2, of the current Post-16 Transport Policy) in line with the March 2024 Consumer Price Index (CPI), and for the Policy to be updated to state that contribution rates would be uplifted by the March CPI rate as standard every year.

CPI does change, so for the purposes of the example below a rate of 6.7% (based on the 12 months to August 2023), has been used to indicate the potential impact on the contributions:

Distance to travel 2023/24 Annual charge 2023/24 Termly charge  Example 2024/25 Annual charge Example 2024/25 Termly charge 
Up to 5 miles* £783.19 £261.06 £835.66 £278.55
5.01 to 7.5 miles* £1,084.72 £361.57 £1,157.40 £385.80
7.51 to 10 miles* £1,519.39 £506.46 £1,621.19 £540.39
Over 10 miles* £1,736.07 £578.69 £1,825.39 £617.46

2) To make the following change to the text in Section 7 (Page 2) of the Policy to provide further detail and clarification on Independent Travel Training, bringing it in line with proposed changes to the School Transport Policy:

Existing text Proposed text
The County Council provides some mobility/independence training for students with learning difficulties or disabilities. Children in special schools will be subject to transition plans in year 9 and independence training can form part of that plan. Some colleges also provide mobility/independence training Independent Travel Training may be offered to eligible students with parent’s consent. Readiness to complete Independent Travel Training would be outlined in the EHCP or agreed by the County Council following a discussion with the school or college and parents. Once an eligible student has successfully completed Independent Travel Training, their travel arrangements will be reviewed.
Note: Travel arrangements offered to an eligible student may change after their training has been completed to reflect their improved ability to travel to school independently.

3) To make the following changes to the text in Section 11 (page 3) and Appendix 1 (page 7) of the Policy document, which would improve the explanation of the Appeal and Complaints processes, bringing them in line with improvements to the wording in the proposed School Transport Policy which have been drafted based on the latest DfE statutory guidance:

Existing text Proposed text
11. Appeals/Complaints

Complaints regarding any aspect of the policy statement must first be taken up with HCC. If these do not result in a satisfactory outcome, young people or their families may complain to the Secretary of State for Education.

11. Complaints/Appeals

The County Council takes all complaints seriously and has a complaints procedure to ensure they are investigated and, where possible, resolved. The procedure is available on our website: Children's Services Complaints.

People are encouraged to raise their concerns using the appropriate contacts. Where necessary, complaints will be considered at a more senior level to ensure every effort is made to resolve the issue.

Parents or students wishing to make an appeal regarding a transport entitlement decision or subsequent transport arrangements should contact the Head of School Transport, via email at [email protected] or in writing to Children’s Services Department, Hampshire County Council, The Castle, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8UG. The appeals process is provided in Appendix 1.

5. School Transport - Review/Appeals Process

Parents and /or Young People who wish to challenge a decision about:

  • the transport arrangements offered
  • their own or their child’s eligibility
  • the distance measurement in relation to minimum distances; and
  • the safety of the route
  • cost

may do so by writing to School Transport Team, Elizabeth II Court North (2nd Floor), Children’s Services Department, Hampshire County Council, The Castle, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8UG or emailed to [email protected].

In the first instance, a case will be reviewed by a Senior Officer of HCC. In cases against refusal of a transport service, there is recourse to a further appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel.

For concerns about the transport arrangement offered, a senior officer outside of the School Transport Team and who holds a comprehensive understanding of the transport policy and legislative framework will make decisions on appeals.

The full Review/Appeals Process in relation to assistance with travel and eligibility is detailed within Hampshire County Council’s School Transport Policy, a link to which is included below. The process by which School Transport appeals are handled for a young person attending a post-16 provision matches that detailed in this Policy.

5. School Transport – Review/Appeals Process

Parents/students who wish to challenge a decision about:

  • the suitability of the transport arrangements offered to the student;
  • the student’s eligibility;
  • the distance measurement in relation to statutory walking distances; and
  • the inherent safety of the route in accordance with the Road Safety GB guidelines
  • cost (parental contribution)

may do so via email to [email protected] or in writing to School Transport, Elizabeth II Court, Children’s Services Department, Hampshire County Council, The Castle, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8UG.

Parents/students should indicate their reasons for challenging the decision using the categories above.

In the first instance a case will be reviewed by a Senior Officer within the School Transport Service.

In cases against refusal of a transport service there may be a further appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel made up of one or more Senior Officers outside of the School Transport Service. Members of the Panel will hold a comprehensive understanding of the school transport Policy and legislative framework and will make decisions on appeals against offers of transport.

Stage one: Review by a Senior Officer

A parent/student has 20 working days from receipt of the local authority’s school transport decision to make a written request asking for a review of the decision.

The written request should detail why the parent/student believes the decision should be reviewed using the categories above. They should give details of any personal and/or family circumstances the parent/student believes should be considered when the decision is reviewed.

Within 20 working days of receipt of the parent/student’s written request a senior officer will review the original decision and send the parent a detailed written notification of the outcome of their review, setting out:

  • whether they have upheld the local authority’s original decision;
  • why they reached that decision;
  • how the review was conducted (including the standard followed e.g. Road Safety GB);
  • the factors considered in reaching their decision;
  • any other agencies or directorates that were consulted as part of the review. Where they have upheld the original decision, they should also explain how the parent/student may escalate their appeal to stage two of the process.

Stage two: Review by an independent appeal panel, where it applies.

A parent/student has 20 working days from receipt of the local authority’s stage one written decision notification to make a written request to escalate the matter to stage two.

Within 40 working days of receipt of the parent/student’s request an independent appeal panel will consider written and verbal representations from both the parent and officers involved in the case and give a detailed written notification of the outcome (within 5 working days), setting out:

  • whether they have upheld the local authority’s original decision;
  • why they reached that decision;
  • how the review was conducted (including the standard followed e.g. Road Safety GB);
  • the factors considered in reaching their decision;
  • information about any other directorates and/or agencies that were consulted as part of the review;
  • information about the parent’s right to put the matter to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (see below).

The independent appeal panel will

be made up of one or more members who will be independent of the original decision making process (but are not required to be independent of the local authority) and suitably experienced (at the discretion of the local authority), to ensure a balance is achieved between meeting the needs of the parents and the local authority, and that road safety requirements are complied with and no child is placed at unnecessary risk. Members will be assigned by a senior manager within the County Council’s Children’s Services directorate.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

There is a right of complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, but only if complainants consider that there was a failure to comply with the procedural rules or if there are any other irregularities in the way the appeal has been handled. If the complainant considers the decision of the independent panel to be flawed on public law grounds, the complainant may also apply for judicial review.

4) To make the following changes to the text in Section 2 (Page 1) of the Policy for better clarity and to remove information that is no longer relevant:

Existing text Proposed text
2. General Transport Available

College and School Details
Will be added as a number of links to the various college websites.

2. General Transport Available

College and School Details
The following links provides the information supplied by colleagues and sixth form establishments: [links will be added here]

Other transport support
Post 16 education providers and other agencies provide support with transport in certain cases, for example:
Other transport support
Post 16 education providers and other agencies provide support with transport in certain cases, for example:

5) Other minor changes to the wording in the Policy would also be made to make it clearer. These changes would not change the meaning of the Policy or the way the service is carried out.

How to have your say

This consultation is open from Monday 30 October 2023 and closes at 11:59pm on 6 December 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 complete the survey or by email to [email protected] with the subject "Post 16 Consultation 2023". You can also post your comments to:

School Transport Team
Elizabeth II Court
Winchester
SO23 8UG

If you require a paper copy of the 2023/24 Post-16 Transport Policy, require it in another language or format, or if you have any queries about the consultation, please contact [email protected] or call: 01962 846924**.

The consultation findings will be published and presented to the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services and Young People in early 2024, as part of the recommendations for the 2024/25 Post-16 Transport Policy.

* 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 2024/25. 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 2024/25. All data collected will remain within the UK. 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.