Around three dozen parents of children with disabilities and their supporters gathered at the Royal Oak pub in Eccles last night, in a meeting called by the SEARCH Salford Community Committee, vowing to fight any cuts to the transport which takes young people to schools.
While Salford Council announced and passed a £120,000 cut to the service last year, it is only now about to be implemented. The budget detail stated there would be a "review of travel arrangements...to reduce the need for the Council to provide transport", and parents were furious that the service was under threat particularly after last year's bitter fight when transport for adults with learning difficulties was axed.
That led to many parents and carers having to take their own sons and daughters to day centres, and there was equal worry that similar scenarios would be happening with children; or that children would have to get public transport on their own to school...
"My 14 year old daughter has heart problems, her joints dislocate and she's partially sighted so she won't even be able to see the bus numbers" said one parent "She requires 24:7 supervision...she'll miss out on a lot of school."
Another added that she was a disabled mother of two children, one of whom is seven with autism and Down's Syndrome... "Physically I cannot get two children to separate schools at the same time. I would have to finish work and claim benefits."
Parents also explained that they had already accepted changes to the transport in the hope it would save the service. There are now more children per bus, who get picked up earlier and dropped off later, spending longer hours in transit... "The service is not good enough as it stands, never mind cutting it" said one father.
No-one at the meeting had been told anything about future cuts and there was confusion about what was actually going on. Local councillor, Peter Wheeler, admitted that he himself was confused, even after speaking with John Merry, Executive Lead Member for Children's Services, who told him that the `savings' would come from the tendering process for transport operators although the briefing notes he had been passed were all about encouraging children with disabilities to travel `independently'.
Peter Wheeler proposed a meeting between parents, John Merry and senior officers to explain what was happening to the service... "People need to know what's going on. In English!" he said.
Paul Gerrard from Salford Against The Cuts said that wherever the £120,000 cut landed the children would be worse off... "If they shave money off the transport operators' contracts they will cut corners; if there's a review some children will be massaged off the lists...there will be even more kids on buses getting to school later...the service will get worse if this goes ahead..."
Parents agreed to form a committee to spearhead a fight should any cuts go ahead...
"Why is it always the most vulnerable who get the cuts?" asked one parent... "We're talking about transport tonight but everything's being taken away, it's the whole system" added another.
Salford Council is already introducing tighter eligibility criteria for children with disabilities - which means some families will see a reduction in their support package as part of cuts totalling £290,000 from the Children with Disabilities Service and the Short Breaks budget (see here). This latest transport cut of £120,000 is yet another blow to those whose lives are already incredibly difficult...
"We've no fear of a fight" said a parent "For us, every day is a fight..."
Last night, the Salford Star emailed John Merry with four questions to try and clear up the confusion...
1) Can you confirm that what we are talking about is the £120,000 cut that was passed last year re SEN transport?
2) I understand you said that the `saving' would come from shaving the transport contracts but it says nothing about this in the original proposal which was all about `independent travel' and to "reduce the need for the Council to provide transport..." Has something changed?
3) Can you categorically state that no child who is currently using the transport will have it removed?
4) Can you categorically state that there will be no re-assessments leading to young people losing their transport?
Here is Councillor Merry's response...
"I can confirm that that the £120,000 referred to is the saving agreed last year and it is our intention to save this through the tendering process and management of resources.
"As parents are aware, every year the transport needs of children are assessed as part of their overall review. What I can reassure parents on, is that the needs of the child will be paramount and that the review will be conducted in consultation with the parent as it has always been done. In some cases this may mean we need to provide more support.
"As children get older requirements change and in a limited number of cases it may be that we can support the young person to make the transition to more independent living . I am sure parents would agree that was desirable. That does not mean getting parents to assume responsibility, rather it is about supporting a small number of young people to be able to use public transport. I hope we can work with parents to deal with their concerns..."
The next meeting of parents is on 21st January at the Royal Oak for further details see the Facebook page Save Our Children's Transport click here
See also the SEARCH Facebok page click here
For further details also see previous Salford Star article - click here
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