Council bosses are consulting parents over proposals to scrap free transport for church school pupils.

East Sussex County Council said it was spending more than £500,000 a year ferrying more than 1,300 children to and from church schools.

The council currently gives church school pupils free transport if they live more than three miles away.

A full consultation will be held to ask residents whether these arrangements should continue.

Councillor Keith Glazier, lead cabinet member for children's and adults' services, said: "The decisions we make on this issue will have an impact on what savings we need to make and what services we provide.

"We will have to consider whether the current arrangements are fair and applied equally to everyone."

He said most parents who choose not to send their child to a local school have to pay the transport costs and it could be argued that it is unfair that parents of children who attend denominational schools receive help.

Mr Glazier said: "We have had to spend significantly more than planned this year on school transport because costs are increasing well above inflation.

"If we cannot save money on school transport, we will have to find savings elsewhere."