BCP Council's draft school transport policy widens personal travel budgets and ends yearly reapplication for most families. Consultation closes 7 October.

BCP Council has rewritten its home to school transport policy, and families have until midday on Wednesday 7 October to comment. The draft runs to 44 pages, against 25 for the policy it would replace. It covers every child of compulsory school age in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole who gets, or might need, help getting to school.

The council launched the consultation on 10 September. Its announcement says that “for many families, there may be little or no change”. That is true of the core rules. The walking distances that decide who qualifies are the same: 2 miles for children under 8 and 3 miles for children aged 8 to 16. The low-income and faith school rules are also the same.

The changes are in how help is given. We read the draft policy against the current one, which has applied since 2022/23.

What would change

  • Personal travel budgets for more children. A personal travel budget is a payment families use to make their own arrangements. The current policy says these “are only applicable to children and young people with an EHC Plan”. The draft drops that limit. It says a budget “may be offered as the main form of travel assistance” wherever it is suitable, safe and “good value for money”.
  • No yearly reapplication for most families. The current policy says simply: “You will need to reapply annually.” The draft says you “may need to reapply” in some circumstances, giving low-income Extended Rights cases as the example. Otherwise the council may just ask you to confirm nothing has changed.
  • Independent travel comes first. The draft sets out an order of options. It starts with walking, cycling, public transport and Independent Travel Training. Then come travel passes, personal travel budgets, shared minibuses and taxis. A dedicated taxi comes last, “where this is assessed as necessary”. The draft says travel training is always voluntary.
  • Gradual steps towards travelling alone. A new section allows mixed arrangements. A child could travel alone for part of the journey, or on some days and not others, as their confidence grows.
  • A written process for EHC Plan school choices. If parents want a school further away than another school that could meet their child’s needs, the council will compare the transport cost of both. If it decides the extra cost is not a reasonable use of public money, it may name the preferred school only on the understanding that the family arranges and pays for travel. The current policy already allows this, in two sentences. The draft spells out the steps and says the agreement should be recorded in the plan or in writing.
BCP home to school transport: the current policy compared with the 2026 draft Four rows. Personal travel budgets: now only for children with an EHC Plan; the draft allows them as the main form of help wherever suitable. Reapplying: now every year; the draft says only in some cases, such as Extended Rights. Mileage: the current policy states 45p a mile; the draft publishes no rate. Post-16 contribution: £525 a year in 2022/23 and 2026/27; the consultation asks about the impact of a future increase. School transport in BCP: what the draft changes Current policy (2022/23 onwards) against the draft out for consultation until 7 October 2026 Topic Now Draft Personal travel budgets Only for children with an EHC Plan Can be the main form of help wherever suitable and safe Reapplying Every year Only in some cases, such as Extended Rights Mileage for parents' own cars Policy states 45p a mile No rate published Post-16 yearly contribution £525 in 2022/23, still £525 in 2026/27 Consultation asks about the impact of a future increase Source: BCP Council home to school transport policy, draft 2027 policy, post-16 transport page, consultation announcement 10 Sep 2026. Graphic by The Bournemouth Post
The walking distances that decide who qualifies, 2 miles under 8 and 3 miles from 8 to 16, are the same in both versions.

The mileage rate has gone from the policy

The current policy pays a “fuel, wear and tear contribution” when parents drive their own child and that is the cheapest option. It gives the rate as 45p a mile. The draft still mentions “mileage payments” in its glossary but does not give a rate anywhere.

The council’s own budget papers suggest why. Its savings tracker for 2026/27, published for the Cabinet meeting on 2 September, lists a Children’s Services saving described as “Travel subsidy decrease for parents and carers 45p to 9p”. It is worth £10,000 this year. The tracker does not say more than that, and the council’s announcement does not mention it. If you are paid mileage now, ask the council what rate applies to you before you respond.

Why the council is doing it

Money is part of the answer. The same tracker carries a “Home to School Transport” transformation line with a savings target of £576,000 this year. A consultant has confirmed in-year savings of about £609,000. The paper adds that “a significant proportion of this saving is expected to be delivered in Q3 and Q4”, the second half of the financial year. The council is forecasting a £27m overspend across all services, which we reported in August.

The council’s stated reasons are about independence. Councillor Richard Burton, the Cabinet member for children and education, said developing travel skills “can be an important step towards greater independence and preparation for adulthood”. He added: “At the same time, we recognise that many children and young people will continue to need specialist transport and additional support.”

Sixth formers and college students

There is a separate consultation on the post-16 policy statement. The council says it wants views on “the potential impact of any future increase in Post-16 travel contributions”. It has not published a figure for any increase.

Families of eligible students aged 16 to 18 pay a flat contribution. The council’s post-16 transport page puts it at £525 a year for 2026/27, payable in three termly instalments. That is the same figure the 2022/23 policy set. Families on free school meals, or on Universal Credit with household earnings under £7,400 a year, may not have to pay. The draft also proposes greater use of personal travel budgets for post-16 learners.

What it means for you

If your child gets school transport now, the council says support “will continue to reflect individual needs and circumstances”. Nothing changes until the council decides on the draft after the consultation closes.

If your child starts secondary school in September 2027, read the draft before you name your schools. The council’s policy page says you can “review the proposed policy before choosing school preferences”. Help usually depends on attending the nearest suitable school.

You can respond in any of these ways, until midday on Wednesday 7 October:

  • online, at haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/schooltravel
  • through a separate survey written for children and young people
  • on a paper copy of the survey, from your local library
  • in person, at one of three drop-in sessions with council officers
  • online, at an information session

The sessions, all in September:

Where When
Bournemouth Library Wednesday 23 September, 2pm to 5pm
Online information session Wednesday 23 September, 6pm to 7pm
Northmead House, Creekmoor, Poole Thursday 24 September, 2pm to 5pm
Christchurch Library Friday 25 September, 2pm to 5pm

Representatives of the Parent Carers Together forum will be at the drop-ins to help families take part. The council says a recording of the online session will go on the consultation page.

Our guide to SEND inclusion bases at eight BCP schools covers the other big change to provision for children with special educational needs this year.

Sources