A CONSULTATION has been launched on post-16 school and college transport and grammar school transport by Wiltshire Council.

The launch follows Government changes to education which has increased the number of young people requiring college and school transport in the county.

All young people up to age 18 are now required to be in some form of education or training, increasing the numbers of students needing school and college transport across the county.

Wiltshire Council currently subsidises post-16 students’ transport costs although there is no legal requirement to do so. The council subsidises the bill for students attending a college further than three miles from their home.

The average cost to provide post-16 transport is £843 per student per year.

Under the proposals, students will be asked to pay £625 a year – up from the current £446.

There will be no increase in transport charges for low-income families where the cost will remain at £156 a year.

The charges will also not increase for those students with special educational needs who pay either £156 or £446 a year currently.

It is also proposed the council will continue to arrange transport for students attending the grammar schools in Salisbury but families will be asked to pay for the transport to bring the city in line with other parts of Wiltshire where families have always paid for children attending schools out of the designated area.

Currently there are 555 grammar school pupils who receive this free transport at a cost of £366,000.

The proposals also include ceasing new applications for “continuity transport”

where a child moves to a different area but the transport to their previous school is paid for by the council.

Those already receiving “continuity transport” will continue.

Wiltshire Council has a £7.8m bill for home to school transport for 10,000 pupils and students.

There are 1,800 students aged 16 or over travelling to school sixth form or further education college who live more than three miles from their place of learning whose transport costs are subsidised.

The consultation is now available at wiltshire.gov.uk/council/consultations.

htm and people are invited to give their views until 12 noon on 19 October.