Funding
62. The LGA stressed the need for pump-prime funding
for pilot authorities and challenged the assumption that the Bill
is cost neutral.
"in the early stages of a pilot … start
up costs will be an issue for authorities and … investment
may be needed in both vehicles and drivers."[101]
Even though he emphasised that he was not talking
about "vast sums of money",[102]
Mr Goddard said that to develop pilot scheme proposals, the local
authority would need more staff:
"We would prefer to have some pump-priming funding
to make it work. Obviously to implement a pilot scheme costs more,
especially for the time involved in setting up. We will need some
extra staff to develop proposals. If there are changes to the
way in which we operate that might have some funding implications."[103]
63. It is possible that some LEAs might make savings
by using their existing provision more creatively. Mr Goddard
explained how Cheshire County Council had combined some of their
bus transport services:
"…we are integrating in Cheshire…when
we took over social services transport about ten years ago we
took over 60 16-seater passenger carrying vehicles which before
that were only used for social services trips. We are also using
those vehicles increasingly for special education trips. They
do a special education trip before they do their social services
trip and then at midday, and sometimes in the evening, we are
increasingly using these buses to do contract work for the NHS.
We are carrying outpatients away from hospitals at midday, and,
in some areas of the country we are doing all the dialysis transport
that is needed by the NHS."[104]
It may be easier for authorities to combine their
bus transport with other services if they bring together the organisation
and delivery of home to school transport, subsidised bus services
and social services' transport in one unit within the authority
or even across authorities.[105]
This approach was supported by the Secretary of State. The
Department for Transport should take a lead in encouraging local
authorities to integrate their school transport provision with
other services, such as access to health facilities, or transport
for social services, and working out a suitable action plan with
the DfEs and other interested parties. At least one of the pilots
should address this.
64. Nonetheless, although there may be scope for
some councils to make savings, the Committee was concerned to
learn from the Secretary of State there would not be any new money
available for the pilot schemes:
"We have considered, and it is a fair point,
whether we should try and make more money available but my view
is (a) there is significant resource being spent now and it could
be spent better but (b), and this is very serious, that one of
the reasons people get fed up with this government from time to
time is the variety of schemes of little pots of money which then
run out and cannot be generalised, and I am rather loath to say
that, for example, Stoke should have some project which Wigan
could not have, and go down that course. I want to try to get
a more uniform approach."[106]
The reluctance to provide funding for pilot schemes
may be linked to the plan to roll out schemes without further
legislative authority or need for assessment. In those circumstances,
it may well seem inequitable to give funding to authorities who
make changes early which will not be available to those authorities
which wait until the end of the experimental stage. If the
Government wishes the pilot schemes to be tested properly, it
must bear some of the costs of developing its new policy.
School Hours
65. Not only did the bus industry maintain that large
savings on school bus transport costs would be available if school
hours were staggered so that buses could do more than one school
run,[107] Essex County
Council identified potential savings of £350,000 in two districts
alone if start and finish times of two schools were moved by 15
minutes.[108] We
draw the evidence we have been given to the attention of the Education
and Skills Committee, which is better placed than we to balance
potential cost savings from staggering school hours with the potential
disruption it might cause to the schools and LEAs involved.
101 ST 05 Back
102
Q 284 Back
103
Q 283 Back
104
Q 269 Back
105
ST 05 Back
106
Q 241 Back
107
ST 06, ST 07 Back
108
DfES, DfT, Travelling to School: a good practice guide,
September 2003 p 21 Back
