Bath and North East Somerset Council faces a growing financial challenge, spending over £10 million annually on home-to-school transport for children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Some children are traveling as far as northern Oxfordshire to access appropriate schooling.
Local authorities are legally required to provide transport for children who cannot easily walk to school due to distance or SEND conditions. However, Bath and North East Somerset struggles with a shortage of SEND school places. This shortfall forces the council to arrange taxi travel for children to schools not only throughout Somerset but also into Bristol, Wiltshire, and beyond.
Out of nearly 2,700 children eligible for home-to-school transport in the area, more than 700 attend SEND schools. Transport costs for these children are about five times higher than for those in mainstream schools. Daily taxi expenses for transporting a single SEND child range from £87.50 to £283.25.
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The financial strain is clear: transport spending has doubled from £5.4 million in 2018/19 to £10.8 million in 2024/25, with the budget rising further to £11.4 million this year.
Lucy Hodge, cabinet member for sustainable transport delivery, noted during a November 25 council scrutiny panel that while the number of children in mainstream schools remains steady, the number of children with education, health, and care plans (EHCPs) has surged nationally and locally. Approximately half of children with EHCPs need home-to-school transport, and local SEND provision is currently full.
To ease the situation, the council plans to build a new 120-place special school and a 55-place alternative provision school at the Culverhay site in Bath. However, this development is pending government approval.
The council also faces complexity in placing SEND children because their needs vary widely. Ms. Hodge explained, “It’s not straightforward; finding the schools with the best provision is the service’s aim, which explains the wide geographic spread.”
Using taxis — deemed a last resort — contributes significantly to costs, as individual journey locations and timing result in long, inefficient trips. Contractual challenges have sometimes led to only a single bid for transport contracts, driving up prices further.
In an effort to reduce expenses, the council has started hiring drivers and purchasing second-hand vehicles for school runs. Paul Garrod, head of highways, parking, and passenger transport, emphasized cost-conscious choices: “We are being frugal… using good-quality second-hand cars.”
Mr. Garrod highlighted that increasing local SEND school capacity would be the most effective solution to curb rising transport costs and improve access.