At a packed and febrile Icklesham Parish Council meeting in Rye Harbour this week, County Councillor Keith Glazier was the subject of intense criticism for a decision by East Sussex County Council (ESCC), of which he is Leader, to scrap free bus travel for Rye Harbour children going to Rye Primary School in Rye. ESCC wants parents to pay £68 a term for each child. Councillor Glazier claimed that ESCC was simply following central government guidelines limiting free bus travel to journeys of more than three miles. Rye Primary School is about 2.6 miles from Rye Harbour.
Distraught parents, mainly the mothers of local school children, asked how many working families would be able to afford an extra £204 a year per child. They also argued forceably that the journey was unsafe, particularly for primary school children and especially in the winter. Google Maps estimates a walk from Rye Harbour to the primary school should take an adult 51 minutes. East Sussex has deemed the route to school to be safe as there are no "particular road safety hazards". The personal safety of children is not considered, as it is assumed that children will accompanied by an adult. However, low income families can claim free travel for journeys of more than two miles.
When pressed by parents, a much-discomforted Councillor Glazier admitted that he would not want his grandchildren to walk this road to and from school. He promised to take residents' concerns back to the County Council.
Rye Harbour Road does have a cycle path, installed by ESCC at a cost of several million pounds and over 11 years, following the death in 2004 of 22-year old local cyclist Graham Matthews in 2004. However, the cycle path ends well before the difficult approach to the A259(T) and is not a footway. Moreover, there are gaps in the proper footways, not least at the bends in the road near the A259(T). The journey to school also involves crossing the A259(T) at several points.
The central government guidelines referred to by Councillor Glazier state that County Councils have a statutory obligation to provide free transport to school to children aged over eight years who live more than three miles from school and to children aged under eight who live more than two miles away. However, County Councils are not prohibited from offering free or subsidised transport to those not automatically qualifying for free travel.
While Councillor Glazier took the flak from enraged and upset parents, one member of the public in attendance said, "There was a deafening silence from Icklesham Parish Councillors". Yet Icklesham Parish Council could help. They currently donate £4,000 a year to Rye Community Transport, no strings attached.
Photo: ESCC
