A senior Powys councillor has stressed that free home to school transport to the catchment area school is legally robust.

Phil Ellis raised a question to Powys County Council cabinet member for transport, Cllr Jackie Charlton on the council’s updated school transport policy that says “where parents/guardians exercise a preference for a school other than their catchment school, the child/children will not be entitled to free home to school transport.”

Mr Ellis explains legally under the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008 the distances mentioned on the “appropriateness of the school” are to be measured by the shortest available route.

Mr Ellis said: “Notably, there is no reference to catchment areas as a condition for this requirement.

“Given this, can the portfolio holder confirm that if a pupil resides closer to a school which is outside their designated catchment area, transport will still be provided in accordance with the Learner Travel Measure.

“If not, can the portfolio holder explain how this policy meets the requirements of the measure.”

Cllr Charlton said the Welsh Governments Learner Travel Statutory Provision and Operational Guidance (June 2014) states that “a local authority must assess the travel needs of learners in their authority and provide free home to school transport for learners who reside more than two miles (primary) and three miles (secondary) or further to their nearest suitable school.”

“The guidance document states that deciding which suitable school is the nearest is a matter for the local authority to determine in accordance with their own travel and education policy,” she said.

She added that the council has decided that children’s nearest suitable school is their “catchment area school” and that school is the “only school that the council will provide transport to.”

She added that there is an appeals process for those that are unhappy with decisions.