Anger over ‘illogical’ pupil travel fees plan
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PUPILS from Bower who want to attend Thurso High after the summer holidays will have to pay up to £94.50 a month for transport – but those going to Wick High will travel free.
That is the anomaly which has been highlighted by Landward Caithness councillor Robert Coghill following the award by the Highland Council of new transport contracts.
He pointed out the new rules were due to come into operation in January but the local authority agreed to extend the current system until the end of the school year.
But Mr Coghill wants the anomaly removed and said the plan has not "been thought through properly".
He said 17 pupils from the Bower area attend Thurso High and claims the catchment area for them has been changed – although the council argues that is not the case. Mr Coghill said the catchment area has been changed according to a map which was sent to Bower Community Council in 2010.
It shows a different area to the current one, he claimed.
"It is scandalous if they have not got their facts correct and are using a different line to what they say they are," stated Mr Coghill.
He said parents in the Bower area who want their children to go to Thurso High would have to pay £51.30 a month for pupils under 16 years of age and £94.50 for those over 16.
The new system would apply to a further 23 pupils in the Wick, Watten, Canisbay and Melvich areas who are outwith the Thurso catchment area.
Under the new system, Mr Coghill said concessionary fares would be scrapped and parents would have to pay to get their children to school if they are outwith the catchment area.
"I am very, very angry about this. There has been no thought given to the serious monetary consequences this puts on parents. Bower is about the same distance from Thurso and Wick but a pupil would have to pay for transport to go to Thurso High but get free to Wick High school.
"That is illogical and has to be resolved," said Mr Coghill.
He maintained the new contracts were drawn up to save money but argued that would not happen if the 17 Bower pupils all decided to go to Wick rather than Thurso High. They would then travel free.
If that happened Mr Coghill wondered if Wick could actually accommodate the extra pupils.He also said there could be consequences for teaching staff.
"If 40 fewer pupils go to Thurso High the school could lose two teachers while more would be needed at Wick," he added.
Wick Highland councillor Bill Fernie, who chairs the council’s education, culture and sport committee, said he has "a lot of sympathy" for the parents in Bower and would like to see the matter resolved to everyone’s benefit.
But he stressed council officials do not recognise the 2010 map referred to by Mr Coghill – although they have a copy of it.
"The boundary map has not changed and is still the same one as was originally used. Bower is in the Wick catchment area although some pupils have elected to go to Thurso. They got free concessionary fares before but that will no longer be the case after the summer," he said.
The Highland Council confirmed that will be the case when the new school year starts in August.
A spokeswoman said: "There have been no changes to the catchment area boundaries. Bower has always been in the Wick High catchment.
"Several pupils from Bower were previously receiving free concessionary (non-entitled) transport to Thurso."
She added: "The new contracts are arranged to carry the number of entitled pupils on the route and to ensure the council does not incur additional expense to provide for non-entitled pupils."
