Christian families have been struck with another blow after a second council decided to start charging them for their children's transport to school.

East Sussex County Council has angered religious leaders by following the lead of its counterparts in West Sussex and introducing the fees for pupils who attend Catholic and Church of England schools.

Frank Myers, education director for the Catholic diocese of Brighton and Arundel, said: "They have claimed this is about fairness but it is not. The motive throughout this has been saving money, it has been dressed up as fairness but not a single argument has been put forward to prove their case."

The councils have both traditionally provided free buses, train tickets or taxis for children who live more than three miles away from the nearest school of their religion. In some case pupils have had to travel for significant distances.

East Sussex will charge parents £260 a year after the council's cabinet agreed on the scheme, which they said was equivalent to half of the cost of a seat on a hired coach.

The fees will apply to pupils starting at the county's Catholic and Church of England schools from September 2008 onwards but not to existing students.

Parents and church leaders were furious last month when the West Sussex County Council introduced annual charges of up to £270 per pupil, labelling the move as "anti-Catholic" and "anti-faith".

The decision, taken by cabinet member Mark Dunn, has been called-in for review after Mr Myers and more than ten county councillors raised concerns.

A scrutiny committee will consider the issue at County Hall in Chichester today (wed, june 6) at 9.30am. If they decide the process by which the decision was made was flawed they have the power to ask for it to be reconsidered.

East Sussex County Council said charging for transport would enable it to reduce the £585,000 it spends providing transport for 1,334 pupils. It said £300,000 would be saved over five years.

Coun Keith Glazier, responsible for children's services, said: "In coming to our decision we have listened to parents and representatives of denominational schools. It means that we treat all parents fairly and at the same time allows the council to save a significant amount of money over time."

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