Post-16 transport policy review

Public consultation on travel assistance for post-16 and post-19 learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Why we consulted on changes to post-16 and post-19 transport arrangements for learners with SEND

Transport statement

All councils must produce a Transport Statement setting out the arrangements for enabling eligible post-16 learners to access education. It is to support eligible post-16 learners with SEND and supports those pupils who, due to exceptional circumstances, need transport assistance.

Like a lot of other authorities, we are in a position financially where we need to review our Transport Statement in order to make savings whilst still supporting some of our most vulnerable young people and their families to access education.

Current provision

Currently, Leeds City Council provides transport to around 3500 young people to their education setting each day. While the Council is statutorily obliged to make free of charge home to school travel arrangements for eligible children of compulsory school age, there is no similar statutory obligation on the local authority to provide transport for post-16 learners.

However, the council currently still provides substantial discretionary assistance for post-16 learners with SEND. Recent analysis indicates that this assistance costs the local authority approximately £4m -£4.5m and may not always be promoting independence for young people.

We want to ensure that the transport assistance we provide is the most appropriate for young people and their families, promotes independence and offers choice, while at the same time delivering a financially sustainable model of transport support.

The council is facing its largest financial challenge in recent history and we are committed to engaging with our communities so we can collectively shape how we deliver services moving into the future.

Timeline

Executive board – October 2024: Approved changes to post-16 transport arrangements for learners with SEND

Recommendations approved by Executive Board on Wednesday 16th October 2024 (see link to the Executive Board report above) include a new stepped model of assistance for eligible post-16 and post-19 learners with SEND that will, wherever appropriate, prioritise an offer of independent travel training (ITT), enabling young people to develop the skills to be able to travel independently in preparation for adulthood.

Where ITT is assessed to be inappropriate for a young person, then an award of a personal travel allowance (PTA) will be given providing a contribution to travel cost of between £1,000 and £3,000 per year, depending on the distance between the young person’s home address and their post-16 learning setting. This payment is to support families to make their own a travel arrangements.

As with ITT, it is also recognised that a PTA may not be appropriate for all young people and the council will continue to consider providing council-organised transport, such as a mini-bus or taxi, on a discretionary basis in exceptional circumstances as defined in the new policy. The policy retains a power of discretion to appropriately and justly award transport assistance of any type.

Discretionary transport assistance for post-16 and post-19 leaners under the new policy will still require an application, as with the current policy, and an assessment will take place at the time of application in order to determine eligibility and the appropriate level of assistance based on individual circumstances.

Further information will follow once the draft 2025/26 policy has been finalised.

When will these changes be made and who would be affected

The above changes will be implemented for young people newly entering post-16 education in September 2025 and onwards. 

All young people already in post-16 education at that point will continue on the current policy, except in a small number of cases where reassessment is required due to a change in circumstances, such as a change in their medical needs, a house move, a change of learning setting, or at certain key transition points in their learning where a new application for transport assistance is required.

Background documents

Executive Board 19 June 2024 - Agenda and recording.

Executive Board 16 October 2024 - Agenda and recording.

Contact

Email post16transport.review@leeds.gov.uk if you have any issues relating to the consultation.

Glossary

Executive Board

The Executive Board is the principal decision-making body of the council. The Leader of Council chairs a meeting of the Executive Board once a month at the Civic Hall.

Full Council

Where all councillors meet to debate decisions on the Council's most important policies and budget.

Key Decision

Any Executive decision which requires significant expenditure or savings, having regard to the Council's budget, for the service or the function to which it relates.