Contact: Roger Mead, Project Director, Children's Services Dept; tel no:01962 846183; email: [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 This report invites Cabinet to consider proceeding with a School Travel Pathfinder bid, using experience of four current pilots. The report sets out the background, compulsory features including the latest position on introducing charging, the key aims and approaches, the consultation undertaken and initial work on the medium and longer term financial implications.

2 Recommendations

2.1 That Cabinet:

(a) consider whether to continue with a Pathfinder submission given that DfCSF lead officials have stated that it is unlikely that a submission will be accepted unless it includes provision to cease the current free of charge provision of home to school transport for new pupil admissions from September 2009 (with the exception of those pupils entitled to free school meals or from families in receipt of the maximum level of Working Families Tax Credit, those with special needs and those for whom a walking route is not available. Children Looked After (CLA) will also not be charged.)

(b) agree the submission of a Pathfinder Bid on school travel - home to school transport for three years commencing in 2009/10 and with an initial annual revenue value of up to £2.5 million

(c) authorise the Leader of the County Council to sign off the final submission for submitting to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DfCSF) by 30 November 2007

(d) acknowledge that a condition of the Pathfinder scheme is that all income received upon the introduction of charging is ring-fenced within the home to school transport budget

(e) request a further report following receipt of the decision from the DfCSF

3 Background

3.1 As one of the provisions of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 the Government have made funding available for Local Authorities who wish to become home to school transport pathfinders. This new funding is designed to assist pathfinder authorities in offering a range of good quality, cost-effective alternatives to the family car on the home to school journey for those children who are not currently entitled to free home-to-school transport.

3.2 The application has to submitted by 30 November 2007. Each Pathfinder Scheme has a number of compulsory features:

· Transport arrangements that support parental preference;

· Transport arrangements that support pupils living more than 2 miles from school; and

· Reducing levels of car use on the home to school journey.

3.3 In addition it is clear from briefings by DfCSF officials that submissions that do not include the introduction of charging are unlikely to be successful. This message was reinforced by John Britton, DfCSF official with responsibility for transport issues and the implications of the 2006 Act, including the Pathfinder scheme, when introducing a national education transport conference on 4 October "Choice and Sustainability". Paragraph 78 of the Education and Inspection Act and Schedule 9 set out the powers and process through which charging can be introduced. Currently there are 170,500 school pupils. Of these 14,600 receive free home to school transport. 8,000 of those would continue to receive free home to school transport as they meet the exception criteria (eg special needs). That means that a total of about 6,600 (3.8% of the total school population) would, at the end of the 5 years phasing in period (2009/10 to 2013/14), not be entitled to receive free home-to-school transport.

3.4 The County Council has been piloting a small number of schemes in Basingstoke, Eastleigh, Waterside and Farnborough, looking at ways that new transport can be introduced, how existing services can be better used and how more pupils can be encouraged to walk and cycle to school.

3.5 Given the diversity of the Hampshire landscape and particularly the mix of open rural areas and congested urban development, it is not envisaged that there will be a single solution to all potential home to school travel issues that will meet the needs of all young people and schools. Dedicated services, enhanced existing services and encouraging walking and cycling will all need to be combined to meet the needs of children travelling to school. It is also anticipated that this flexible approach could assist with the 14-19 curriculum developments, the extended schools' initiative and other priorities in the Children and Young People's Plan. It also sits alongside community transport initiatives such as Dial- a- Ride, Call&Go and flexible bus services such as Cango that operate on demand and do not have a fixed route.

3.6 As part of the process of applying for Pathfinder funding, consultation has to be undertaken with interested parties locally to seek their views on improving travel opportunities for young people to attend Hampshire schools. That consultation, involving MORI led focus groups, web-based consultation with schools, the Hampshire Youth Council and others was undertaken over the past few weeks and is referred to in detail in the draft submission attached. Overall the outcome messages are supportive of the approaches proposed. Concerns mainly reflect the challenge of delivering options across the whole of the county.

3.7 Current advice from the DfCSF indicates that the outcome of the bid will be known in December 2007/ January 2008. A report will then be presented to Cabinet setting out the next steps. If successful the next phase is to develop the bid further using a specific pump-priming grant from DfCSF of up to £200,000. At that stage further work will be undertaken to strengthen the financial forecasts.

4 Summary of Pathfinder Submission

4.1 The submission has two key aims

· To reduce the congestion associated with the number of journeys to school by car

· Improve educational choice

4.2 These aims will be achieved through four main approaches recognising the need for a menu of choice:

· Dedicated services delivered by specially adapted yellow buses using bus livery developed by pupils

· Improvements to scheduled bus services, through a `BusIT' scheme, providing students with a personal information pack with pocket timetable, money-saving vouchers and a link to a website and personalised journey planner, along with simplified ticketing and retiming of some services, all in partnership with schools and operators, whilst avoiding a switch from walking and cycling

· Improvements to home to school travel services also with `BusIT' branding and scheme features, further utilising new technology and anticipating future advances which will aid pupil attendance and safety

· Walking and cycling in partnership with external organisations and a district council

4.4 A copy of the latest draft Pathfinder submission is attached.

4.5 The proposals in this report are expected to contribute to all three of Hampshire's corporate priorities: being safer and more secure for all; enhancing our quality of place through reduced congestion and pollution; and maximising wellbeing in support of the County Council's corporate priorities.

It also supports the following outcomes of the Children Act:

Be Healthy

Stay Safe

Enjoy and achieve

5 Consultation

5.1 Consultation has been undertaken with schools, parents, the Schools Forum, the Hampshire County Youth Council and external partners as listed in the submission. The consultation took various forms including focus groups, e-consultation, face to face briefings and analysis of survey and questionnaire data from the pilot projects. The outcomes of the consultation has lead to further refinement of the Pathfinder proposals.

5.2 The key outcomes or messages from those consultations are

· Parents' preferences around school transport are motivated by safety, cost, reliability and flexibility. Whilst parents are keen for their children to develop socially, and feel that travelling independently to school could help towards this end, it is unlikely to be the deciding factor. The figure of £1 return is thought to be fair by most

· All supported the County Council's intention to bid for Pathfinder funding. All respondents favoured the proposed mixed menu flexible approach with suggestions for improvement

· The majority of respondents thought in principle that it was reasonable and pragmatic to introduce charging.

6 Legal implications

6.1 None.

7 Financial implications

7.1 A decision by the DfCSF to approve Hampshire's bid would draw down an initial grant of about £200,000 to allow further work prior to a full Pathfinder scheme being implemented. Thereafter the way the bid has been prepared allows for all costs in managing and implementing the Pathfinder scheme to be covered for the duration of the Pathfinder.

7.2 Part of the sensitivity and risk analysis undertaken included evaluating the risk to the County Council if the central government funding ceases at the end of the 3 year Pathfinder in April 2012. Whilst costs will be covered till April 2012 it is very difficult to forecast accurately the position thereafter. Income will increase each year in line with new pupils and greater uptake for the charged services and by introducing charging the current risk of overspending on the Home to School Transport budget is reduced. It is possible that there could be a shortfall of up to £1million in 2012/13. However this estimate is based upon a very conservative forecast of pupil usage. Further analysis will be undertaken during the next phase, using DfCSF funding of £200,000, to conclude a more accurate forecast before Cabinet are invited to confirm full participation in the Pathfinder.

7.3 To not introduce charging would increase the financial risk to the County Council if the scheme continued beyond the Pathfinder funding phase as the County Council would have to find up to £2.5 million in 2012/13.

8 Personnel implications

8.1 Project governance and management arrangements are set out in the draft submission. All personnel costs would be met by the Pathfinder funding, should the bid be successful.

9 Impact assessment

9.1 Race and equality impact assessment has been considered in the development of this report and no adverse impact has been identified at this stage. A full impact assessment will be completed for each proposed pathfinder pilot element if the bid is successful.

10 Crime prevention issues

10.1 The County Council has a legal obligation under Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to consider the impact of all the decisions it makes on the prevention of crime. The proposals in this report have taken that into account.

11 Views of the Local County Councillor

11.1 The web-based consultation document was sent to all Hampshire county councillors and all district council leaders in Hampshire. (Hard copies of the documentation were sent to councillors who do not access email.) Responses from councillors are reported alongside other consultation results.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

The DfCSF documentation and guidance on Pathfinder application