London Borough of Hackney (22 008 497)

Statement Upheld School transport 09-Jun-2024

Summary: Miss B complained the Council delayed providing her daughter with home to school transport. We find the Council was at fault for the way it dealt with Miss B’s appeal for home to school transport. It was also at fault for how it dealt with Miss B’s complaint about the matter. The Council has agreed to our recommendations to address the injustice caused by fault.

Birmingham City Council (23 017 415)

Statement Upheld School transport 05-Jun-2024

Summary: There was some fault in the way the Council decided an application for school transport for a child below compulsory school age. Irrelevant factors were considered and referred to in decision letters. However, I am not persuaded the fault affected the outcome of the application or caused significant injustice. The Council will make service improvements to prevent a recurrence of the fault.

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (23 019 623)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries School transport 05-Jun-2024

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about post-16 home to school transport for a young person with special educational needs. Further investigation will not lead to a different outcome.

Hampshire County Council (23 013 726)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries School transport 03-Jun-2024

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s response to incidents related to her child’s school transport. An investigation would not lead to a different outcome and we could not achieve what Ms X wants.

Leicester City Council (23 016 591)

Statement Upheld School transport 02-Jun-2024

Summary: Miss X complained the Council failed to provide suitable school transport to her child. She said the Council failed to properly explain its decision, consider the family’s circumstances, or have regard for its duties under the Equality Act 2010 when making decisions about transport. We have found the Council acted with fault by failing to properly consider Miss X’s requests through its transport appeals procedure. We have made recommendations to remedy the injustice this caused.

Staffordshire County Council (24 000 114)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries School transport 23-May-2024

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to refuse Miss X’s application for free school transport for her daughter. We have seen no evidence of fault by the Council.

Birmingham City Council (24 000 110)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries School transport 22-May-2024

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to award Miss X’s child Y home to school transport. This is because an investigation would be unlikely to find fault with the Council’s actions.

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (23 013 311)

Statement Upheld School transport 19-May-2024

Summary: Mrs X complained about how the Council handled her application for home to school transport support for her son, Y, in 2023. Mrs X also complained the Council withheld information about Y’s entitlement in September 2022 and would not backdate the transport allowance it later agreed to in September 2022. The Council failed to tell Mrs X about the home to school transport support in 2022, and failed to properly consider and respond to her application for support in 2023. The Council will apologise for the injustice this caused and backdate the support to September 2022.

North Yorkshire Council (23 010 456)

Statement Upheld School transport 15-May-2024

Summary: Mrs X complained the home to school transport arranged by the Council did not wait long enough for her grandchild Y and that it was not meeting Y’s needs. The Council already accepted fault as the transport did not consistently wait the agreed ten minutes for Y. It apologised and made a payment to Mrs X for the time and trouble this caused. This was a suitable remedy. There was no evidence of other fault.

Leicester City Council (23 019 947)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries School transport 13-May-2024

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about a home to school transport incident as there are no good reasons the late complaint rule should not apply. And we are unlikely to find fault or achieve a significantly different outcome on a transport dispute.