Wirral education bosses back down over controversial plans to axe free bus passes for Catholic school pupils

Mar 25 2009 By Carrie Catterall, Liverpool Daily Post

EDUCATION bosses in Wirral last night backed down over controversial plans to axe free bus passes for children going to Catholic schools.

For years, Wirral pupils who attend a Catholic school, more than three miles away from their home, have been entitled to a free bus pass.

Wirral Borough Council provided 889 of these free bus passes last year.

The four Roman Catholic secondary schools in Wirral are Upton Hall, Upton; St Anselm's College, Birkenhead; St Mary’s College, Wallasey, and St John Plessington, Higher Bebington.

Pupils of the 19 other non-Catholic secondary schools in Wirral are not entitled to a free bus pass if they live more than three miles away.

A consultation was set up this month by the borough’s Local Education Authority and government bodies to ask the question: “Why is religion the only criteria for free bus passes, and why are children who go to Catholic schools favoured over and above those who attend any other school?”

Feedback regarding this issue was due to be collected and assessed next month.

But now Phil Davies, cabinet member for education, said the response has been so negative that they will not be taking the consultation any further “at this time”.

He said: “We just wanted to ask why parents who chose to send their child to a Roman Catholic school shouldn’t have to pay for that themselves?

“These bus passes cost the council £170,000 a year – we needed to ask if this is a good use of public money.”