Free transport scrapped for English-speaking children – but kept for Welsh-speakers

Labour-run council ‘reluctantly’ drops providing travel for nursery and sixth form students but makes exception for Welsh-speaking schools

A Labour-run council in Wales has scrapped free transport for nursery and sixth form pupils but made an exception for Welsh-speaking schools.
Bridgend county borough council said it had made the “reluctant” decision to stop providing travel for children aged four or under and those 16 or over.
However, the local authority will continue to lay on transport free of charge for pupils who attend Welsh-medium schools, where pupils are taught and converse in Welsh, and free schools.
The changes will take effect from the start of the next full school year in September 2025. 
On its website, Bridgend council said: “Free transport for nursery pupils and post-16 learners will no longer be available, but will continue for those attending Welsh-medium and faith schools who live beyond the qualifying distances.
“Council opted to defer a further proposal – to offer parents and carers of pupils with additional learning needs ‘personal transport budgets’ for making their own arrangements to transport children to school – in order to allow further research to be carried out.”
Natasha Asghar, the Welsh Conservative shadow transport minister, accused the council of making a “shocking” decision.
She said: “For a council to continue providing transport services to a select group of pupils is discriminatory. All pupils should be treated equally regardless of the language they speak or the faith that they practise.
“The Labour Government must intervene here to ensure all pupils are offered equal access to school transport.”
Tom Giffard, the Welsh Conservative education minister, added: “This is a very concerning precedent set by the Labour-run council, school transport should be offered equally to all pupils in the area.
“The council cannot discriminate against people based on language or faith. Absenteeism is already soaring and this measure will do nothing to encourage pupils to attend school.
“That is why I have submitted a topical question in the Senedd today, to seek urgent answers on this issue.”
The local authority in Bridgend, which has had a Labour majority since 2022, also launched a tightening on second-home owners earlier this year. 
In April, it announced a 200 per cent surcharge payable by residents who own more than one home. This will rise to 300 per cent, which is one of the highest levels in Wales, in two years’ time.
John Spanswick, the leader of Bridgend council, said further budget cuts were “inevitable”. 
Mr Spanswick claimed the council had endured “14 consecutive years of carefully managing shrinking resources” under the Conservative government at Westminster.
“The council has been fast approaching a point where it is not going to be possible to save money while also shielding people from feeling the full impact of increasingly significant cuts,” he said.
“Unfortunately, that point has now arrived, and learner transport is one of the areas that has been affected. Until the national funding crisis can be resolved, further reluctant changes to popular council services such as this are sadly going to be inevitable.”
Bridgend county borough council was contacted for further comment.