End to free school buses - transporting us away from free education for all!

Proposals in announced in yesterday's Queen's Speech to end free school transport were wholeheartedly condemned today by Totnes Liberal Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Mike Treleaven. Speaking after the proposals were put forward he said:

' What has happened to the promise of 'education, education, education?' Not only are students going to be hit by tuition fees when they go to university, there are now plans to penalise all those who live in the country. Devon is one of the most rural areas in Britain and families rely heavily on free transport to get their children to school. Charging people is the thin edge of the wedge. We have a low wage economy and many parents just cannot afford to pay for school transport'

He continued:

' This proposal undermines the whole principle of free education and will encourage truancy. We should be encouraging children to go to school, not making it more difficult. What has Tony Blair got against the countryside? We already suffer in so many ways compared to those in urban areas and this is just another attack on the rural way of life. We are told that the new bill is intended to tackle school run congestion - surely this will make it worse as parents have no alternative but to use cars to bring their children to school. What a fiasco! And how is this going to work. I have no doubt that, in typical Government fashion, there will be a directive from the Westminster and local councils will be left to sort out the mess.'