Bad faith over school transport - says Malcolm Cowan

10.08.02pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 4th Jul 2006

Council proposes to axe transport to faith schools

1. Councillors being gagged over faith schools, say LibDems.

'County councillors are being prevented from analysing the likely environmental effects of the Tory proposal to withdraw free transport for faith school pupils' says Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Cllr Malcolm Cowan.

'We asked for a scrutiny of the likely effects before a final decision is made by the county council on July 18. That was refused.

Then we asked for the environmental effects to be discussed by the Highways and Transport panel it its meeting on Thursday July 6th. That was agreed, at the previous Highways and Transport meeting on June 1st, and the decision is minuted.

'Then when we got the agenda for the July 6th meeting, the item was missing. We have asked for an explanation, but not got one. We are being gagged' says Malcolm, who represents Handside and Peartree in WGC.

'What this means, apart from the broken promise and bad manners displayed by the Tories, is that there will have been no detailed examination of the implications of the proposals. This is bad government. It is amazing that when the county council is trying to reduce rush hour traffic, they are about to make a decision that will increase it, as parents vote with their wallets not to pay for school transport but use their own car' Malcolm concluded.