A DARLINGTON college has raised concerns over plans to scrap free bus travel for students over 16 in the county.

Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Vane Terrace, has said it is unsure what the impact of the plan by Durham County Council will have on student attendance.

The county council says the plan to scrap free school travel for sixth formers will be a "fairer" system and encourage more people into further education.

Under the subsidy shake-up agreed by Durham County Council's cabinet, all over-16s will have to pay some of the cost of travelling to their school or college.

This will replace the present system, where free transport is available to students who travel more than two miles to study a core course.

The council is paying £2.9m this year, almost £1m above the national average, to fund free travel but now considers this unsustainable.

Cabinet members who agreed the policy switch said it would encourage more young people to continue in post-16 education, because all would now get help towards travel costs.

A package of options ranges from giving students a cash contribution of up to £130 each term, depending on how far they have to travel, to providing them with an identity card to confirm their eligibility for cut-price fares.

Councillor Claire Vasey, the county council's cabinet member for children and young people's services said: "This will improve access to further education for young people who may currently be put off by the travel costs involved.

"Instead of free travel for some, it will offer cut-price travel for many more, and that has got to help make 'staying on' a more attractive option for our young people."

However, Bob Tuddenham, vice-principal of Queen Elizabeth college, said: "At the college we certainly have a large number of students who travel to and from south Durham each day to get here.

"We support any initiative that will encourage young people to stay in education beyond 16 and provide more choice.

"However, the changes have been introduced to save money and until we have looked at the new arrangements in detail, we are uncertain about the impact they will have on some of those students who live some distance to college."