Council urged to 'bend the rules' for free school transport

Parents are being forced to drive their children to school in Windsor to avoid 'extortionate fares' while neighbours only three doors away are getting free transport.

The situation was highlighted by Cllr Lynne Jones (Independent, Old Windsor) at a meeting of the Royal Borough's Children's Services Scrutiny Panel on Monday.

There is a cut off point of three miles after which children have their journey into school paid for by the authority.

But the point comes half way down Straight Road in Old Windsor where most children travel into Windsor to go to school.

Cllr Jones said: "It means that one child gets their journey paid for while three doors down another child does not.

"Fares are extortionate so parents end up driving their children in  blocking the already busy roads."

She would like to see the borough bend the rules to include children living all along Straight Road.

But the borough's admissions team leader Shazia Umer could offer little hope of this happening, saying: "Unfortunately there has to be a cut-off point somewhere."