Protestors stage County Hall Northallerton demonstration

The group, launched by a collective of anxious parents and residents in the Yorkshire Dales, wants to see a U-turn on the decision to change the policy, which was adopted by North Yorkshire Council in July this year.

Under the new guidelines, children in North Yorkshire only get free school bus travel to the nearest school. 

School transport protestors at County Hall in Northallerton (Image: STUART BOULTON) On the North Yorkshire Council website, the policy states that it provides free school transport to the nearest school if it is over two miles in walking distance for children under eight years of age and three miles for children aged over eight.

The local authority goes on to say: "The nearest suitable school for transport purposes includes schools in neighbouring authorities. If you live near the boundary, you might find that the nearest school is outside of North Yorkshire."

Following the council's adoption of the transport policy, the protest group was created and a petition, which has since been signed by over 2100 people, was launched.

Protestors stage County Hall Northallerton demonstration:

The petition was delivered to councillors at County Hall in Northallerton on Wednesday (November 13), which saw members of the protest group hold banners at the door of County Hall.

The petition document that was handed in at County Hall on Wednesday (Image: STUART BOULTON) The protest coincided with a North Yorkshire Council meeting attended by every councillor in the region.

According to the group, the council's new policy 'removes choice for families living in villages and means many will be required to send their children to schools outside the county,' which has seen some parents offered schools in Cumbria and County Durham.

It has also expressed worries about the viability of smaller schools in North Yorkshire and the impact this will have long-term on the Yorkshire Dales if this policy is continued.

A banner at the protest on Wednesday (Image: STUART BOULTON) Mum of two, Claire Calvert, who lives in Keld in the Yorkshire Dales, is part of the group and believes a lot of the options for secondary school education that have been selected using the new policy are in Cumbria. 

Claire said: “Concerns raised by parents and teachers and also by councillors from across North Yorkshire have been ignored.

"The fact this decision has been rushed through means that many parents with children applying for school places for September 2025 are suddenly finding out now the impact this change will have on their families and I fear many are still in the dark. It’s a total mess.”

Protestors in Northallerton (Image: STUART BOULTON) Charlie Fowler, who also lives in the Yorkshire Dales, has expressed the longevity of villages in the Dales, given that "families won't want to move to the area if they can't ensure their children can get to a school," according to the mum.

She said: "Since the consultation on this policy, it has raised a lot of questions. I've spoken out at meetings and to the council directly on this and we want change. 

"Some of the routes that are proposed to send our children on are treacherous and not viable.

Protestors stand outside County Hall in Northallerton on Wednesday (Image: STUART BOULTON) "It will split communities up if some children's friends are sent to other schools just because they live a matter of miles away." 

One member of the protest, who wasn't at County Hall on Wednesday, but has been a vocal member of the group is Ian Dawson, who launched the online version of the petition.

He said: "While we understand the need to manage budgets, this decision has no guarantee of any financial savings.

Cllr Kevin Foster (Image: STUART BOULTON) "What is guaranteed is that it makes life harder for so many children and families.

"It pushes costs onto parents and schools and forces more private cars onto our roads.

"We ask again, that North Yorkshire Council urgently rethink this damaging policy and request that the Government take immediate action to investigate the negative impact that this decision will have on the safety and education of children across rural North Yorkshire.”

Lib Dem Tom Gordon MP for Harrogate & Knaresborough (right), Daniel Callaghan - Richmond & Northallerton LibDem Parliamentary Spokesman (second right) and Swaledale residents handing in the petition at the Department for Education (Image: TOM GORDON) The decision, made by North Yorkshire Council in July, was supported by all but two of the ruling Conservative councillors and backed by Labour.

Those who voted it through at the time stated that their decision was driven by the need to reduce spending given the looming budget deficit.

However, opposition councillors pointed out that any evidence of substantial savings was
'unconvincing'.

Cllr Kevin Foster signing the petition (Image: STUART BOULTON) Cllr Kevin Foster, who covers the Hipswell & Colburn division and voted against the policy when it was debated in July spoke outside County Hall on Wednesday, where he said: "I urge these parents to keep this issue on the agenda because it's a vital one for our children, and we have to look at this policy again, it's evidently not working."

Cllr Foster wasn't the only vocal representative at County Hall on Wednesday, with Upper Dales member Cllr Yvonne Peacock joining protestors in calling for a review of the policy. 

She said: "Children could have to travel on rural and unsafe roads. I believe this protest group need to take action and wish them well. I've been battling this policy since February or March time and think this policy needs another look into."

On the same day that the petition was delivered to County Hall, it was also presented to the Department of Education in Westminster by North Yorkshire Liberal Democrat, Tom Gordon, MP for Harrogate & Knaresborough.

Mr Gordon said: “This decision to reduce free school transport services across North Yorkshire has been poorly thought through.

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"It disadvantages children in rural communities and threatens to undermine some of the best
schools in the county.

"That there is little evidence to suggest it will result in cost savings makes it even more absurd.

"We need to make sure all children in North Yorkshire get the support and education they need.”

In response to the concerns of parents and elected officials, North Yorkshire Council has insisted that the policy and system they have in place using a digital tool to find eligible schools in the region has worked for "thousands of parents" and have issued a statement on the issue.

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for inclusion, Amanda Newbold, said: “Our digital mapping tool is used to determine the closest school to a home address. The distance is calculated using roads, footpaths, bridleways and public rights of way. We know that thousands of parents have successfully accessed the system during this year's admissions round.

“The distance measurement is used to determine eligibility for travel assistance after a child has been offered a school place, and where a child is eligible for free home-to-school travel, the council must make suitable travel arrangements.

“In cases where this involves contracting a new transport service, each route is assessed to ensure it is safe for travel.

“We would like to clarify that the routes used by the mapping system are not as the ‘crow flies’ and are unlikely to be the exact journey used to travel to school - this is because the arranged contracts are not necessarily the shortest routes. Instead, journeys need to take account of the home locations of all passengers on the route, local knowledge, vehicle size and time spent travelling.”

The assistant director for inclusion at the council added: “The revised home-to-school transport policy was considered and adopted by councillors in July. It ensures equality and makes sure that free transport is provided for eligible children in line with our statutory duties. Extended support is also available for low-income families.

“We can confirm that a petition with more than 3,000 signatures calling for reconsideration of the decision to change our home-to-school travel policy was handed in at County Hall earlier this morning (Wednesday).

“The petition will be considered by our Richmond Area Committee in the New Year. A date is yet to be scheduled for the meeting.”