Sixteen Cornwall school bus services could be cut

Sixteen bus services for Cornish schools could be axed in a cost-cutting exercise.

Cornwall Council said the routes have been assessed as "suitable to walk" and travel provision costs a total of "between £50,000 and £60,000 per year".

Consultations from parents and carers have to be submitted to the council by midnight on 1 October.

However, any proposed changes would not be brought in until 2024/25, the council said.

Under the proposals the school bus service between Porthtowan and Mount Hawke Academy would be cut.

Pauline Barrow, the parish councillor for Porthtowan, said the move "could affect 70 children".

She added: "We're in a climate crisis and they want to remove the bus to put 70 cars on the bus route.

"I think we should find 70 people from Porthtowan and drive 70 cars to the academy and see how they'll cope.

"That road is treacherous.

"The potholes are incredibly bad along that stretch and it's just unreasonable to expect four and five-year-olds to walk with dogs and buggies all the way to the academy."

Another route up for review is the journey between Hatt and Landulph School.

Martin Worth is the councillor responsible for the hamlet of Landulph and is chairman of the Economic Development and Growth scrutiny committee at Cornwall Council.

He said the route does not have pavements or streetlights and that "it is not a safe option to mix children with that kind of traffic" but that some of the routes included in the consultation had been made more suitable for walking.

"Over the years some routes have improved," he said.

"They have had new pavements or developments put in. Therefore, it's only right that some of those routes are reviewed."

Mr Worth said: "We have this balance between providing buses for the children and we have special educational needs children; some who require taxis.

"It's the mixed cost that is causing the pressure. So, it's not just buses, and that's the difficulty."

Barbara Ellenbroek, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for Children and Families said the routes at risk had been selected by independent experts who had visited the communities.

She said: "This is not just about sending children out on their own. This is [the routes are] deemed suitable for walking to school and that means that is it up to the parent or carer whether that child walks alone or not.

"This really isn't about saving as such although savings will be approximately £60,000 a year. It is more about making sure that the very limited funds that we have are spent in the right places."

She insisted the changes are "not a done deal" and encouraged people with concerns to engage with the consultation.

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