howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
a u-turn on this but savings will have to be made elsewhere.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-26064474Guest 1694- Registered: 24 Feb 2016
- Posts: 1,087
Hi Howard, not necessarily - because young people now HAVE to stay at school or go into formal training programmes until they are 18 - no more parental or child discretion - parents in Kent asked KCC to extend the existing Freedom Pass Scheme to all young people up to the age of 18. KCC, in their wisdom, decided to extend a limited Freedom Pass scheme to the 16-18 yr olds (basically a term of travel for £100 before reverting to normal bus fares for the rest of the school year), but in return for this limited extension the scheme for Under 16 yr olds would become limited (basically two terms of travel for £100 before these children would have to start paying full bus fare). These changes, whilst providing limited new benefits for our 16-18 year olds, would have screwed the parents of a very large number of under 16 year olds forcing a significant number of poorer parents to have to change their children's secondary schools to ones which they did not want their children to attend. By reversing this decision to provide the limited extension to 16-18 year olds and restoring the scheme in full to the under sixteens, KCC are not saving any money on the scheme, but then it is not costing any more either.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Parents are very much up in arms over this one, cost has risen 5 fold over 8 years and when it started the pass could be used at any time. Children cannot use it at weekends or in the 6 weeks holiday whilst KCC councillors get free parking and 45pence a mile travel allowance.
http://www.dover-express.co.uk/Angry-Dover-father-protests-Kent-County-Council/story-26699725-detail/story.htmlSue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
This is an old chestnut.KCC donot have to provide Freedom Passes.You can pay a further £25 and then children can travel anytime including holidays alongside the Freedom pass.The pass can be bought in two installments.When my children were at school I had to pay Full fare no half fare before 9 00am.We had to go without holidays .My husband and I chose to have children so we had to keep them.
Where do people think the money comes from to pay for all the services .provided.Look at the cost for social services ,education so the list goes on.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
This is an old chestnut.KCC donot have to provide Freedom Passes.You can pay a further £25 and then children can travel anytime including holidays alongside the Freedom pass.The pass can be bought in two installments.When my children were at school I had to pay Full fare no half fare before 9 00am.We had to go without holidays .My husband and I chose to have children so we had to keep them.
Where do people think the money comes from to pay for all the services .provided.Look at the cost for social services ,education so the list goes on.
Guest 1266- Registered: 8 May 2014
- Posts: 381
I suspect many parents who chose to have children didn't expect to have to send them half way across Kent to find a decent school.
Jack of Hearts
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,897
When I was a child in the year dot up in London my bus pass was free.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
The way I see it is that a family of four children will pay a grand every year despite taking into account their income while Paul Carter and his crowd will have their transport costs paid by us out of our council tax.