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The First Minister has told the Senedd that controversial decisions to cut school bus routes in Caerphilly County Borough rest entirely with the local authority.

Rhun ap Iorwerth was challenged over the cuts by Reform UK’s Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni MS Llŷr Powell, who claimed hundreds of local pupils face being forced onto dangerous walking routes.

It follows growing anger, including a 400-signature petition from Bedwas residents and calls for Caerphilly County Borough Council to halt the changes before the start of the new school year.

Speaking during First Minister’s Questions on Tuesday June 23, Mr Powell said he had walked one of the proposed new walking routes himself.

Mr Powell said: “Hundreds of pupils are facing cuts to essential school transport in the Caerphilly County Borough Council area.

“I joined with protesters a few weeks ago, and I’ve walked the potential new route myself. It is unlit and hazardous in winter.”

He called on the Welsh Government to review its school transport policy to better protect pupils in rural and semi-rural areas.

However, the First Minister resisted calls for direct government intervention, insisting the responsibility lies with local councillors.

Mr ap Iorwerth said: “I remind us all once again that these are decisions for local authorities at the end of the day.

“These are difficult decisions that need to be made. Do I believe we need to be reviewing constantly how processes are working? Yes, I think I’ve made it clear that that is the case.”

The First Minister added that the Welsh Government had worked to secure a “robust settlement” for local government funding, pointing to an extra £112 million provided to the Revenue Support Grant to help protect frontline services.

Casnewydd Islwyn MS Jayne Bryant also challenged the First Minister on the issue, arguing that home-to-school transport is essential for families and allows parents to get to work.

The Labour MS said Caerphilly Council currently has the “most generous home-to-school transport offer in Wales” and called for extra Welsh Government funding to local authorities.

Ms Bryant also asked how the Welsh Government plans to highlight Caerphilly Council’s school transport provision, to which the First Minister responded: “Without doubt, there are examples of good practice across Wales, and I referred to the situation in Caerphilly.”

Mr ap Iorwerth described the “challenges facing all local authorities” and said: “This is an issue that impacts on the opportunities available to young people.”

There is already a review ongoing in terms of ensuring that access to Welsh-medium education is something that isn’t impacted by access issues.”

Decision expected

The funding crisis has already seen Caerphilly’s council leader seek urgent financial pledges from the Welsh Government, as the local authority grapples with severe budget deficits.

A decision on whether to implement a full review of the transport cuts before September is expected to be debated by senior councillors later this month.

Caerphilly County Borough 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.

Parents and campaigners in Bedwas have argued that changing the qualification criteria for free transport will force children to walk along busy, poorly lit roads.

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 Bedwas 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.”