Proposed Home to School Transport consultation

Page 1 of 8

Closes 21 Apr 2026

This service needs cookies enabled.

Proposed Home to School Transport consultation

1. This survey is aimed at:

All parents / carers of children and young people either at, or starting school/college in September 2027

Schools, Colleges and other Education Providers

Other interested stakeholders.

Are you:  

2. How do you feel about Westmorland and Furness Council’s proposals from 2027 to align home to school transport policy with a number of English councils and some of our neighbouring local authorities?
3. Westmorland and Furness Council’s home to school transport policy proposals from 2027 mirror the Department for Education Statutory guidance for travel to school for children of compulsory school age, and Post 16 travel support to education and training. This could potentially mean withdrawal of transport which is currently discretionary (provided by the Council but we are not legally required to). How do you feel about this?
4. Compulsory School Age: Going forward from 2027, the proposal is that there will be no statutory entitlement to free transport and any provision for 4-year-olds will be discretionary and subject to a spare seat charge. Do you:
5. Statutory Walking distance at age 8: Are you happy that as a discretionary policy , the Council will continue to provide transport entitlement under the mileage criteria of 2 miles to the end of the term when a child turns 8. Eligibility will be reviewed and assessed against the statutory walking distance of 3 miles for the following term.
6. Nearest/Catchment eligibility. From 2027 the proposal for new intake is that transport will only be provided for eligible children to nearest suitable school rather than the current discretionary policy of providing transport to either the nearest suitable or catchment school. Do you: