Commissioner for Children and Young People Speaks Out

The recent article on the East Renfrewshire Council website and Evening Times article would suggest that Kathleen Marshall dismissed parent's concerns and even supported the decision to end free buses for Primary School Children living less than 3 miles from schools.

This is what she had to say herself about the recent decision in a letter to the Evening Times:

“I was disappointed to read the way in which my assessment of the school bus issue in East Renfrewshire was presented. I have not “backed” the Council. There are some decisions that fall within the discretion of the Council as the democratically elected body for that area. My role is not to usurp that function, but to highlight situations in which children’s rights under national and international law have been breached. From the information given to me, it did not seem to have been the case here. That does not mean that this is the best possible decision, nor that I approve of it. I have merely recognised that it is their right to make it. Parents and other concerned persons in the community have every right to pursue the matter further with their elected representatives if they feel the Council have made the wrong decision.” - Published with kind permission of Kathleen Marshall

Cllr. Devlin forces Council U Turn

Cllr. Devlin has successfully forced a Council U Turn for all Primary School pupils who live in the Lochlibo Road area. Due to the alarm at the prospect of Primary Schools pupils having to cross the dangerous road at the Dalmeny Park Hotel, he attempted to verify the Council's statement that all proper safety assessments had been carried out. It turned out that the appropriate departments,people and bodies (such as the Roads Department) had NOT been consulted on the matter at all.
This turn of events casts severe doubt on the Council's assertion that all the roads where pupils will be affected have been assessed correctly. Safety First have written to the Council asking them to suspend their plans for all areas until all such appropriate safety measures have been actioned.
In response to the safety issue at Lochlibo road the free bus service has been re-instated.

Credibility Lost

What follows is the incredible letter sent to the Scottish Parliament Education committee from none other than Mhairi Shaw in 2005. It shatters all the Council's arguments in their own words highlighting the current ridiculous state of affairs.

With regard to the continued use of the two and three mile walking distance, this authority has for many years operated to a one mile threshold in respect of all primary school pupils, and from 1998 has operated a three mile threshold in respect of secondary school pupils. This policy currently affords an additional 1500 primary school pupils, in general terms, a facility which they would otherwise not enjoy, at an additional cost to the authority of some £350,000 annually in comparison to the legal obligation in respect of the two and three mile thresholds.

It is the authority's view that in some instances a return to statutory provision only might encourage some pupils who have until now enjoyed a free transport facility, to walk to school. With such an increase there may however be a knock on increase in risk to pupils who would thus be exposed to the dangers of traffic at crossing points, for example. Further, it is thought more likely that the vast majority of pupils, particularly in an area where car ownership is comparatively high, are likely to be added to "school run" statistics, where parents drop them off at school and return for them in the afternoon. Within such a scenario it is therefore felt that in terms of congestion, pollution and increased risk to pupils resulting from greatly increased car usage in and around schools, the net outcome would be detrimental to them. Indeed, it could be argued that a reduction in the walking distance thresholds, with the requisite resources provided to local authorities to fund additional vehicles, would allow for a safer environment to pupils travelling to school on a daily basis either by walking or travelling by school transport, by substantially reducing the volume of vehicles in and around schools while reducing pollution from car emissions simultaneously.

I trust you will find these views helpful and thank you on
behalf of the Director for the opportunity to comment.

Yours
sincerely,
Mhairi Shaw
(Acting) Head of Service
(Curriculum & Policy Development)

© The Queen's Printer and Controller of HMSO. Reproduced with the permission of the Queen's Printer for Scotland.

In the News

The Evening Times covered the protest on Wednesday. You can read it here.

Well done to all those who came along, the voices had obviously been tuned up before the event! Enthusiastic as always, especially the kids. A big thanks to all those standing against the cut in Wardens and the free buses. A peaceful demonstration heard by the Council whether they wanted to hear it or not!

Own Goal

The (Acting) Head of Service (Curriculum and Policy Development) , a year ago, quite clearly stated that East Renfrewshire Authority's view was that a return to statutory provision of free School Bus services would be detrimental to pupils' safety.
See here (page 29 - last paragraph).

She conceded that a return to the car run would be inevitable which would only add to the pupils risk around schools as well as adding congestion to roads and pollution. Do these arguments seem familiar? Are all these routes now somehow safe? How can that be without consultation from Police or having carried out a risk assessment to re-evaluate them?

It has been stated that buses are not being withdrawn. The free buses that have been available on the grounds of safety are being withdrawn and being replaced by a pay bus which is being actively promoted. How can the Council rebuff their own pupil safety arguments made only last May? The safety conditions around roads and Schools in East Renfrewshire have not improved since then.

A staggering own goal! - Gerry O'Hara

Council Meeting Wed 31st May 6:30pm

There is to be another Council Meeting on Wednesday the 31st of May at Eastwood Park in the building immediately to your right as you enter the park at 6:30pm.
Again many parents intend to be there to highlight the overwhelming objections to this cut.

The Council have called in the press for us to stop protesting - it must be working.

Sunday Times Sets the Record Straight

The Sunday Times covered our campaign today. Read it at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2190445,00.html

Ask for a Safety Assessment

To arrange such an assessment contact Bill Elliot, Principal Officer (Transport & Provision) here. Why?

The Council kicked off a project to promote safe routes to school for all Primary Pupils. This is taking place at Kirkhill Primary. You can find a Council article here on their web site. This initiative is definitely the kind of move that we would all like to see supported.

So doesn't it seem strange that this initiative seems to have been totally forgotten when making the decision to cut the free bus service? Considering the project to promote safe routes assumes that anyone further than 1 mile already gets the bus!

As a parent you can support safe routes to school by asking for a Safe Route assessment for your children. This will determine the legitimate safe route to school during the school day. This is carried out by the Transport Authority and will provide an accepted safe distance that your children are from the school. An official will come and accompany you and your child along the route and assess any dangerous areas as well as the route itself.

Contact Frustration

There have been several people contacting the site expressing frustration when communicating with the Council. They seem to be experiencing high volumes so patience is required.

See here for more contact avenues.

Perseverance is key! Good Luck!