2:40pm Thursday 4th March 2010
By Tim Ridgway
Youngsters with special needs could be left at home if they miss their transport to school.
Brighton and Hove City Council and East Sussex County Council have both proposed cuts to their home to school transport budgets.
Local authorities provide cars and other transport to ensure vulnerable pupils get to school.
The city council hopes the cuts, agreed this week, will save £ 323,000, about 10% of its home to school transport budget.
Moves include creating central pickup places, instead of doortodoor pickups and introducing a points system for the service and some rerouting.
Where appropriate, no additional trips will be made if children are not ready for transport on time.
Vanessa Brown, cabinet member for children and young people said: "The efficiency will not only come from the authority, it will also ask service users and their parents to assist.
"The measures will allow better use of the council funding while maintaining a suitable service."
But Labour councillor Pat Hawkes said: "This is about more than just cutting money; this will have a massively negative impact on families and children across the city."
East Sussex County Council has also announced it is looking at ways to slash a similar percentage, or more than £ 1.1 million, from its own home to school transport budget.
It referred its plans to its audit and best value scrutiny committee yesterday.
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