Kent County Council 'sorry' for SEN transport issue distress

A council has apologised after "close to 300" children with special needs did not make it to school because transport contracts were not arranged in time.

One mother told the BBC her child, who had autism, had "been shaking and in tears because he cannot process it".

Kent County Council (KCC) said it was "deeply sorry for the anxiety caused" and would conduct a thorough review.

However, it said it needed to make changes to contracts due to an increase in demand and a shortage of drivers.

Hannah from Whitstable told BBC Radio Kent her half term was "ruined" as she spent her time chasing a solution to the problem.

"[My son] has been shaking and in tears because he cannot process it", she said.

"He has got on a bus this morning with a driver and escort that he doesn't know and none of his friends he has been travelling with for the last half year."

The council has a statutory duty to provide transport for eligible students. But it said it now has more eligible students than ever before, with an increase of almost 20% on previous years.

It also said a national shortage of bus and taxi drivers due to the pandemic plus other factors were affecting Kent too.

The authority said it was legally required to follow a tendering process before it awarded a contract, which lasts for three years.

Sometimes it does not get any bids for a particular route, which means it has to repeat the process and leads to delays.

In a statement, KCC apologised for the "delay in notifying parents of new transport arrangements".

It said it had to match more than 5,500 children and young people with new transport providers, adding: "We regret that, despite best efforts, there are some parents still waiting to hear who their child's new provider will be."

Sarah from Hadlow said her eldest child had lost his regular taxi to school and she has had "no communication" about the situation.

"He has been really distressed," she said.

Another mother, Jasmine from Canterbury, said she had "lost sleep" after her daughter lost her transport.

Speaking to BBC Radio Kent, county councillor Shellina Prendergast admitted the authority had "clearly underestimated the scale of the job".

She said that "close to 300" were without transport on Monday.

Ms Prendergast said: "I am so very sorry that parents and their children are going through this.

"I absolutely recognise the pain they are experiencing. I am a mother myself.

"We will endeavour to get transport in place for every child as soon as possible."