A concerned North Yorkshire mum has written to Rishi Sunak after school catchment changes could see students travelling along non-gritted and "dangerous" roads each day. 

Claire Calvert, 32, of Keld, says there could be a “serious accident” should children have to make their journey to school across the B6270 to Kirkby Stephen due to bus reforms.

Headteachers, governors, parents and community leaders lined up at County Hall in Northallerton on Tuesday (July 16) to urge North Yorkshire Council’s executive to drop the proposal. It reduces provision to that which is legally required and could save the authority £3m.

The proposal follows school transport becoming the third largest item of expenditure for the authority at £51m a year, behind adult social care and waste management, more than doubling since 2018/19.

Despite opposition, the executive unanimously approved the proposal for consideration by a full meeting of the authority later this month.

Claire has now begun to lobby Richmond and Northallerton MP Rishi Sunak to get involved as she fears her children will be affected in years to come.

In an email to Mr Sunak, Claire wrote: “I attended the executive meeting on Tuesday 16th July at county Hall, Northallerton regarding the home-to-school transport policy.

“The council was proposing to get rid of the catchment schools and to change it to our closest, for us this means going over the B6270 Moor Road to Kirkby Stephen.

“As you are aware this road is just not safe to travel in the winter months over ungritted roads, in a vehicle of any kind.”

"During the public participation section of the agenda, many residents for Swaledale were in attendance and we all spoke damningly about the potential risk of travel in the winter months.

"This was met very negatively by the councillors. It is obvious the councils main priority is their own financial budgets and not the safety of local children.

"Will it take a serious accident involving the school transport for them to reassess the situation?"

She added: "As this matter has now reached a level of national news it is time that our member of parliament should take swift action and protect the children in your constituency."

Claire previously told the D&S Times: “We thought we didn’t have to worry at first, but then we sat down and read it and it said that our nearest school could possibly be in a different county.

“We thought, 'oh my goodness, surely not,'" said Claire. "Surely we can’t be going over this top. In summer, the road is bad enough and in winter it is 100 times worse.

“Once we’d realised, we immediately decided that we wanted to do something about it.

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“I think that there could be a serious accident on this road, we were all saying this and it seems like there’s a thought that cost comes before safety.

“I just don’t know how they think it is physically possible to come over this top – I really don’t.”

A spokesperson for Rishi Sunak confirmed that he is liaising with “a number of constituents” and is raising their concerns with the council.