Rachel has criticised a proposal by Reform UK in Warwickshire to remove a requirement for roads to be well-lit before they are deemed safe for children to walk to school along. She said the plans posed a clear threat to children’s safety and should be withdrawn.
The MP said Warwickshire County Council should be working hard to improve street lighting along dark country roads, not demanding children walk to school along them.
Reform UK in Warwickshire recently published proposals aimed at slashing spending on home-to-school transport, including by removing a requirement for the council to consider whether roads were well lit before offering funding to help children get to school.
If implemented, the policy could see children as young as four walking to school along unlit country lanes in the dark because the council would no longer consider it unsafe for them to do so.
Rachel is urging her constituents to respond to the public consultation being run by Warwickshire County Council to make their views known. Members of the public have until 4 January to comment on the proposals – which can be completed by clicking here.
She said:
“Home-to-school transport is there to ensure that no child has to endure an unsafe walk to school, so it’s deeply concerning that Reform UK in Warwickshire are suggesting that having to walk along unlit roads should not be a consideration when deciding which children get support.
“To make matters worse, the county council is responsible for ensuring our roads are well lit, meaning these plans let them off the hook for improving street lighting and keeping us all safe on the road.
“Road safety is an issue constantly raised by constituents, and no child should be forced to risk their safety to get to school. Reform in Warwickshire need to withdraw these dangerous plans immediately.”
The publication of Reform UK’s plans follows a controversial letter sent by County Council Leader George Finch to the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson about home-to-school transport in Warwickshire. In the letter, Cllr Finch demanded the right to cut access to home-to-school transport by making children as young as eight to walk up to five miles to school, and younger children up to four miles. The Education Secretary rejected the request, branding it “Victorian”.
Following the controversy, concerned parents rounded on the Council Leader during a BBC Coventry and Warwickshire radio phone-in, asking “How do you justify eight-year-olds walking a 10-mile round trip?”, “How are poorer parents meant to afford wet-weather clothing?”, and “Is this just cost-cutting at the expense of vulnerable families?”.
Reform UK was elected to lead Warwickshire County Council at the May local elections, promising voters they would slash wasteful spending and keep taxes low. Since then, they have been strongly criticised for having no plan to deliver on the pledge, while instead cutting public services and heavily hinting they intend to raise council tax by 5% – the maximum amount allowed.