Mother fights council over school transport mix up

A mother is facing a choice of paying nearly £3,400 a year for school transport, or moving to a different school, because of a mix up with a now defunct county council.

Sam Shuttleworth, who lives near Sedbergh in Cumbria, but just over the border into North Yorkshire, has had free transport for four of her children to Kirkby Stephen Primary School in Cumbria for seven years.

Westmorland and Furness Council, one of two authorities replacing Cumbria County Council, said it would now charge for transport, or the children could move to a school in Hawes in North Yorkshire, which it said was nearer.

Shuttleworth said she was "absolutely fuming" about the cost and has appealed against the decision.

Shuttleworth applied to Westmorland and Furness Council's school transport scheme for her 11-year-old, who will be going to a new school, and for her 10, 6 and 5-year olds, who will be staying at Kirkby Stephen Primary.

The authority said the county council had made a mistake and they were only eligible for free transport to their nearest school, in Hawes, and this would be the responsibility of North Yorkshire Council.

It said Kirkby Stephen Primary School was 8.9 miles away and Hawes Primary School was 7 miles.

"I'm absolutely fuming and this is not my fault," Shuttleworth said.

"The council at the time told me Kirkby Stephen was my nearest school."

Westmorland and Furness Council said Shuttleworth would have to pay £849 per child per year for them to continue travelling by bus to Kirkby Stephen.

"I can't afford it and I'm not going to do it," she said.

"I have three options now - fight it and win the free bus, pay the permits or change schools."

She said she did not want to move her second eldest child because she only had one year left at primary school and was "really settled".

Shuttleworth told BBC Radio Cumbria she had appealed against the decision and had been told this would be dealt with within 40 days.

"My children will not be going to school for the next 40 days until this is resolved," she said.

"I can't be in two places at once."

Westmorland and Furness Council said the family lived close to the boundary of both local authorities and "it has recently been identified that Westmorland and Furness had been arranging and funding transport, when the family live in North Yorkshire and transport arrangements are the responsibility of North Yorkshire under their home to school transport policy".

"We are liaising urgently with North Yorkshire Council to reach a resolution."

North Yorkshire Council initially told the BBC the family lived in Cumbria and would be Westmorland and Furness Council's responsibility. It was further approached for comment on the grounds the family lives in North Yorkshire and said it was "working with Westmorland and Furness Council to find a resolution".

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