Campaigning parents insist fight continues over North Lanarkshire school mileage limits despite council u-turn
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Campaigning parents have insisted the fight will continue over North Lanarkshire school mileage limits despite a council u-turn on primary school routes.
Earlier this week, the council confirmed that primary school kids in North Lanarkshire who receive school transport will continue to qualify at the current mileage limits.
The council had previously decided to change the mileage limits for primary school children to the legal maximum.
That would have meant children living more than two miles from school having to make their own arrangements, rather than those living more than one mile away.
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The news has delighted parents who have campaigned against the changes since the plans were first revealed earlier this year.
Kerry-Anne Ferrie, whose son Sean would have been forced over one and a half miles to Cathedral Primary in Motherwell if the plans hadn’t been shelved, said: “As a primary school campaign team we are delighted with the news that 1,400 children across North Lanarkshire primary schools have had their dedicated transport retained and will be able to get to school safely and ready to learn.
“We now need to focus on the secondary school routes that clearly have safety challenges and support the working group to do this.
“We are also really concerned regarding children with Additional Support Needs that attend mainstream secondary schools and despite having medical professionals providing opinion that dedicated transport should be provided to them have been refused.
“We will continue to urge the Scottish Government to revisit the existing qualifying mileage for all the children of Scotland and reduce it to more acceptable levels given today’s environment.”
She added: “We were optimistic after the council established the working group but you can never tell.
“I was getting disheartened at one point but we kept going and I’m delighted at the decision.”
The hard work of Kerry-Anne and other parents was praised by Motherwell and Wishaw MSP Clare Adamson.
She said: “It is thanks to the tireless campaign efforts of parents, carers, and pupils – led by the incredible Kerry-Anne Ferrie – that Labour has seen sense and u-turned on this decision for primary pupils.
“This u-turn will be a huge relief to affected families but it should not have taken such a fight for Labour to prioritise children’s safety or to listen to constituents.
“It is crucial that the administration meaningfully engages with the people it represents rather than dismissing them out of hand.
“Questions remain as to the situation for secondary pupils and I will continue to make that case.”
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