Paul Topham, Interim Service Manager, Community Safety and Street Scene, to present
Minutes:
In accordance with Minute No. 44(3) of the meeting held on 19th November, 2025, Paul Topham, Interim Transport Services Manager, attended the meeting and gave a verbal update on the current situation with regard to SEND transport provision.
Send Transport Provision
It was a local authority’s statutory duty to provide travel assistance/transport where a child met the eligibility criteria. There was a Council Policy detailing the criteria available on the Council’s website.
Budget
Each year there was an 8-10% increase in the demand for transport with applications received for children/pupils who were entitled to receive statutory travel assistance. So far in 2025/26 there had been 600 SEND applications had been received compared to 900 5 years ago.
1,400 children were transported per day over 314 routes consisting of inhouse minibus operation (approximately 23), external operators who provided a solution with minibus or taxi and then an offer, as an alternative, of either a personal travel budget or a personal travel claim. The budget was paid up front to parents/carers for them to organise their own transport whether it be themselves/family friend/relative etc. or a personal travel claim which was paid retrospectively for mileage incurred based on the HMRC rate of 45p per mile.
Those 2 elements were based on 85% attendance rate at school. Payments were recovered or reduced payments if the attendance level fell below 85%.
The budget never really met what was required in terms of expenditure which had been recognised corporately due to the demonstrable evidence that the requirements to provide transport would never reduce and would continue to increase.
Independent Travel Training Scheme
The Service was trying to promote and develop further Independent Travel Training and provide those pupils who were assessed as being able to undertake travel independently. Training was provided, health and safety, risks, shadowing and all agreed with parents. In the 3 years that the scheme had been running, 50 young people were now trained independent travellers. It was planned to double that figure in the next 2 years.
For each child travel trained, it potentially saved the Council in terms of an actual seat on a vehicle, approximately £7,400.
There were a number of initiatives to promote greater independence for families including a personal transport budget or a personal travel claim.
A number of issues were raised by Members including:-
- Encouraging parents to consider other options other than the provided minibus. As stated above, personal transport budgets and travel claims were offered but it was not mandatory or statutory and could only be offered to parents/carers as an option
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- The Transport Escalations and Exemptions Panel weekly challenged solo occupancy of taxis but it was often based on a young person’s individual complex needs. Out-of-Borough transport was also a significantly high proportion of the Service’s costs and the challenge was whether or not there was provision within the Borough or closer to the Borough instead of travelling significant distances. The Service was constantly challenging those aspects of service delivery to try and ascertain and maintain costs
- Where there was a requirement for taxi provision, a request would be put out to all the operators on the contract to submit a bid for that particular route based on what was required, how many children to be picked up, where from and where to. Each bid was then assessed in terms of whether it was the most effective and efficient use of resources
- Post-16 transport, according to current statutory guidance, was discretionary and had to be based on significant need. Rotherham did provide post-16 transport on a discretionary basis
- Acknowledgement that there had been significant journey times for young people. As from September 2025, every attempt had been made to accord with the statutory guidance i.e. no more than 45 minutes journey time for a primary aged young person and 1.15 for a secondary aged young person acknowledging that there could be exceptional circumstances such as a traffic accident etc.
Paul was thanked for his attendance and presentation.
Agreed:- That the information be noted.