A MUM from Irchester has hit out at the county council as she could be faced with a bill of more than £3,000 a year to transport her son to school.
Hazel Howe’s son is 17 and disabled.
He relies on Northamptonshire County Council to provide transport to take him to and from Greenfields School in Northampton.
However, this lifeline could be taken away by the county council following the cabinet’s decision to charge parents for this service.
Tomorrow, Hazel will meet Wellingborough and Rushden MP Peter Bone to discuss her case.
Hazel, 40, said: “This is a slap in the face.
“There has been no consultation and no warning.
“I feel the county council has timed this decision to coincide with the summer holidays.
“If I can’t afford to pay, the only thing I will have to do is give up my job.
“I will fight this and take it all the way to 10 Downing Street.
“I was in such a state last Friday, worrying about my son’s operation (for his back), Social Services saying they can’t fund a chair for him and these potential costs.”
Hazel has sent a letter to parents telling them about what they face and wants them to band together to fight this cut.
Another parent affected by the council’s decision is Milicent Njeri from Northampton whose 18-year-old daughter, Margaret is disabled.
Milicent said: “I think it is the worst thing I have ever experienced.
“I am a working parent and the impact on me will be very big. I can’t afford this.
“I rely on school transport to get my daughter to school and she has to catch the bus at 8am.
“This is bringing me down.
“I have done my training as a nurse and I want to keep working.
“I can’t afford to pay for a taxi to take my daughter to school (Greenfields) and bring them home.”
A spokesman for the county council said: “The county council has no statutory obligation to provide free post-16 school transport and we currently have a system in place that is consistently overspent.
“In the current financial climate we cannot continue to overspend.
“In May the council’s cabinet approved plans to reduce the overspend by introducing a revised system that gives parity across the board while ensuring the students most in need of support continue to receive 100 per cent funding for their school or college transport needs.
“Any parent or carer can appeal in writing against any decision and this will be assessed by an appeals panel.”
