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A petition signed by more than 400 Bedwas residents has been handed to the council, protesting against cost-cutting changes to school transport.

The council said in March it plans to end free transport for hundreds of pupils who live within two miles of their secondary schools, along nine routes now considered ‘safe’.

If introduced, the current proposals would still mean secondary-aged pupils in the borough receive free school transport if they live more than two miles from their schools, whereas the national minimum distance is three miles.

The proposed changes would affect pupils travelling from Bedwas to Ysgol Gyfun Rhymni’s Y Gwyndy campus on Pontygwindy Road, Caerphilly – who would lose their school bus.

Campaigner Max Joseph said: “The council should rethink the cuts to school transport. The decision will force Cwm Rhymni pupils to cross the Caerphilly bypass.

“This road is very busy, and either very fast or congested with frequent road traffic accidents and near-miss incidents observed. Lives will be put at risk.”

The petition was handed to Caerphilly Council’s chief executive, Richard Edmunds, by Penyrheol’s Plaid Cymru councillor Steve Skivens.

Cllr Skivens said: “If these cuts go ahead the options are for pupils to either walk to school and have to cross a busy bypass road, or travel by private car if available, putting many more vehicles on local roads.”

He continued: “Asking a young child to walk quite a distance to school, carrying bags and or musical instruments is a tough ask. Crossing our busy roads, and safeguarding issues, raise further concerns.

“Then what happens in winter when inclement weather and other issues arise?”

Cllr Skivens called on the council to rethink the “very unpopular decision” and added: “They should offer at least a transition period of ongoing support for pupils travelling to school until mitigation measures can be put in place.

“What will the council say if anything happens to a pupil walking to school on what is a very busy route?”

‘We need more funding’

Cllr Jamie Pritchard, who leads the Labour-controlled local authority, has linked the proposed cuts to funding problems, and appeared to suggest the council’s school transport service could be protected if the new Plaid Cymru-led Welsh Government coughed up more money.

He wrote to the Welsh Government’s new deputy minister for transport, Mark Hooper, following May’s Senedd elections to ask whether Plaid Cymru was planning to relax a national policy on minimum qualifying distances and provide more funding to local authorities.

In a response seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Hooper said it was up to councils to decide how to provide school transport, but added ministers “intend to assess” the policy, “working with local authorities to explore how access to school transport can be improved for families”.

Cllr Pritchard said he was “lobbying for more funding” as council leader and welcomed the minister’s “commitment” to reviewing the policy.

“I hope all the local Senedd Members who have been vocal about providing more generous home to school transport are also lobbying the new government,” he added.

“If we are to increase provision of free school transport, then we need more funding from the Welsh Government.”

Additional reporting by the Local Democracy Reporting Service