‘Unacceptable’ school bus fare hike raised in House of Commons as Corby MP asks North Northamptonshire council for an urgent review
A member of parliament has asked the Reform council to rethink its decision to raise school bus fares by 20 per cent.
North Northamptonshire Council announced in a press release yesterday that it was putting up school bus fares from £795 to £965 per year from September.
The news came as a shock to many parents who said they simply couldn’t afford the rise.
Now Corby MP Lee Barron has spoken in the House of Commons about the decision. He has also written to NNC Reform leader Cllr Martin Griffiths to ask him to reconsider.
In Parliament this morning (Thursday, March 12) Mr Barron said: “That's an unaffordable increase for families from a council that promised lower costs for families, from a council that's failed to have its books signed off and from a council that's received a ground-breaking real-terms increase in their settlement from this government. So, does the leader of the house agree with me that NNC should reverse this unacceptable, uninformed, and unaffordable decision?”
In his letter to Cllr Griffiths he expressed his disappointment that he had discovered the price rise in the press, and said: “When you were elected, you promised lower costs for families. An increase of £170 per child, introduced without any phased implementation, is simply unaffordable for many families and, in my view, wholly unacceptable.
"One of your councillors has even acknowledged the hardship this 20 per cent sudden increase will bring to families.
“There was no discussion, consultation or indication of this rise during your recent budget process, and this decision is particularly concerning given that NNC has received a ground-breaking real-terms increase in its settlement from this Government.”
North Northamptonshire Council has been contacted for comment. In yesterday’s announcement Cllr Chris McGiffen, the council’s executive member for Highways and Travel, said:
“This is a tough decision that we’ve had to make.
“For years the amount that was charged was not increased sufficiently and the amount it has been subsidised has just gone up and up to a point where the issue must be addressed.”