Published: Thursday, 18th March, 2010 9:05am

Last stop bus cuts?

by Alex Lawrie

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Council considers complete u-turn over home-to-school bus changes

Ormiston school bus to Ross High

EAST Lothian Council could be set to call a halt to controversial proposals to reduce free home-to-school transport for county secondary pupils.

The proposal to withdraw free school transport to secondary pupils travelling less than three miles to lessons, which has provoked fierce opposition from families across East Lothian, was due to be approved by education committee councillors on Tuesday.

Two police officers attended the meeting, after being requested to do so by council chiefs worried that many angry parents would attend. But, in an equally unusual move, the item on this controversial proposal was withdrawn.

The report to councillors that was pulled had included an important amendment that communities, such as Ormiston, where there was not a safe walking route to high school, would not lose their free bus service - regardless if some pupils stayed less than three miles from their nearest secondary school.

However in a surprising turn of events, Councillor Peter MacKenzie, education convener, read out a pre-prepared statement at the start of Tuesday's meeting, attended only by a handful of law-abiding members of the public.

He said: "I am aware of the widespread public concern about proposed changes to East Lothian Council's home-to-school transport policy. The administration has decided to wait for transportation to complete their assessment of [all the affected] routes.

"This information should be available in mid-April. At this point, the administration will reflect on this information and decide whether or not to pursue the change to the current policy.

"If we decide not to proceed, we will have to look at other opportunities to recoup the savings that were to be made here."

Mr MacKenzie confirmed that if the council did reverse its budget proposal, the savings would still need to be made from within the schools budget.

Following the meeting, Labour councillor Willie Innes declared that the statement was evidence that the local authority was "backing off at 100mph" from its initial plans, which East Lothian Council says will save £80,000 per year.

He told the Courier: "This administration is backing off at 100mph over the home-to-school policy. They are using the safety checks on the roads to backtrack their decision.

"There is a good chance the whole scheme will now be shelved, and I think the administration is split down the middle regarding this topic.

"It is not only the safety of the children which is the issue here, but what about the financial cost to low-income families and the weather implications in the winter months? Under-privileged kids will be forced to walk because their parents cannot afford the public bus fare, while if kids get soaked on the way to school then they will be in no fit state to be learning. The whole thing has become a shambles."

Parents and community leaders in a number of county towns and villages have vented fury at the proposed cuts in recent weeks. Public meetings held in Ormiston, Macmerry and Tranent have attracted dozens of angry residents and further meetings in Cockenzie and Port Seton (yesterday) and Elphinstone have been arranged to gauge how those communities will be affected if the plans are given the green light.

Amid concerns that a large parents' protest would occur, the local administration also requested the presence of two police officers at Tuesday's meeting - though the rumoured demonstration failed to materialise.

At the meeting, councillors called for Councillor MacKenzie to explain the presence of the officers at the meeting, but he refused to answer the request, instead leaving council official Jim Lamond to explain why they had been called.

Councillor Innes said it was "the first time I can ever remember that the police had been asked to attend an education meeting".

Mr Lamond said: "I'm quite happy to confirm that at the request of the administration I was asked to advise the police that their attendance was requested at the meeting this morning."

Following the meeting, Mr MacKenzie said: "We held talks with the police yesterday (Monday) following a couple of councillors airing their worries that they expected a large public presence to attend the meeting, which then failed to materialise. It was nothing more than precautionary."

Councillor Willie Innes, Labour Group leader, said: "I was very surprised to find the police at the meeting. I can't remember this ever happening before.

If there was any hint of a demonstration, or of a disruption to the meeting, then the convener should have been happy to discuss it. But he failed to do so, which I find very surprising."

Council leader David Berry was unavailable for comment regarding the postponement of the home-to-school debate.