FREE school bus passes have now been issued for 12 children from the Medrose end of Delabole following their stage one appeals to Cornwall Council.

This will allow them school transport for the whole of this academic year whilst Cornwall Council undertakes a review of schools’ transport across the county. 

Responsibility for school’s transport has moved within the council from Children’s Services across to the Transport Co-ordination Service.

Whilst the review is underway, Cornwall Council has issued bus passes for this academic year but has warned parents that should any revised policy find the route between Delabole and Sir James Smith’s School to be acceptable for pedestrian use, then parents may have to pay again in the future. 

Cornwall Councillor for St Breward, St Teath and Delabole, Cllr Dominic Fairman (Lib Dem) said: “I am extremely pleased that these families have had the stress and uncertainty around how they will get their children to school removed with the issuing of these bus passes.

“I have lobbied hard at New County Hall for the new cohort of Year 7 children to be issued with passes whilst their appeals were heard and any review was undertaken. Once again we have made real progress and working families can get on with their lives.

“I will be monitoring the progress of the review very closely and as we all try to increase use of public transport as part of our climate change ambitions it is obvious to me that we need to enable as many children as possible to use buses to get to and from school.”

North Cornwall MP Scott Mann (Cons) said: “While I am very pleased at this interim measure to support children being able to get to school safely, I am still calling on Cornwall Council to ensure that all children who are forced to walk to and from Delabole are offered transport once the review is complete.

“None of the Delabole children should be forced to walk an unsafe route to and from school.”