Parish Council Writes to North Yorkshire Council in Support of Bus Passes for Ripon Schools.

Dear Nick

At our last PC meeting we discussed a letter we received from a resident about the allocation of free bus passes and I was tasked with writing to NYCC to pass on our concerns.

In particular the resident  pointed out that  because the child was attending the Ripon Grammar School and not Outwood School they would not be eligible for the free bus pass. The two schools are adjacent to each other, they share the same car park for buses and have done so for many years. To make matters worse the criteria is based on the nearest school by foot, as in walking to school. Allocating a Bus Pass on the basis of a walking route is just absurd.

But the absurdity gets worse because the net effect is to put more cars on the road. A brief review of the NYCC climate change strategy for 2022-30 shows a multitude of references to commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and championing the use of public, sustainable transport. Yet here is a policy, absolutely in the gift of the NYCC, that works in entirely the opposite direction.

Add to this the fact that more road miles will be driven by more cars along very narrow country roads or forced up onto the very dangerous A61. At some point an accident will happen involving a child that should have been travelling on a bus that is already going to the car park for the school they are attending.

Some 90+ houses may well be built in Bishop Monkton over the next few years, it can be expected that a good proportion of any new residents will be sending their children to both schools, so the situation will only get worse.

Irrespective of the rights or wrongs of selective education, that is what we have in Ripon. One of the “benefits” is that it allows children from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend a Grammar school based on an entrance exam. This bus policy works against this ethos and disadvantages those families that do not have enough cars or spare time to transport their children to school actually following a NYCC service bus going to exactly to same place.

In conclusion I would reiterate,

• Basing a bus route pass eligibility on walking route is absurd
• The policy runs counter to NYCC climate change objectives
• More car road miles will lead to more accidents
• The policy disadvantages certain groups within our village.

I was disappointed to learn that you supported this clearly ridiculous policy but wanted to let you have the opportunity to represent our concerns to whoever is responsible for this poor decision and ask them to reconsider the decision given the very unique circumstances regarding Bishop Monkton and the proximity of the two Ripon Schools. Additionally, the residents would certainly appreciate an explanation of the reasoning behind this original decision and its divisive impact on Bishop Monkton.

Regards

Dean