CONSERVATIVE MP for North Cornwall, Scott Mann, has expressed his disappointment in Cornwall Council’s decision to discontinue provision of school transport to many pupils in Delabole, having recently taken part in a campaign to prove how dangerous the proposed route for the children is.

The Post previously reported that the village of Delabole came together recently in order to walk the proposed route the children affected by the local authority’s decision will have to take to and from school each day.

With no street lighting, poor phone signal, heavy goods vehicles passing through regularly and other factors, parents, Cornwall Councillors and Scott Mann took part in the early morning walk through the route recently, in an aim to make the local authority aware of their concerns.

Mr Mann has since expressed his disappointment and concern following the decision taken by Cornwall Council to allow affected children to walk this route every morning and evening.

He said: “I have expressed my disappointment to Cornwall Council over the removal of school transport for half the students in Delabole.

“The route children are expected to walk regularly flood and has no pavements and they are expected to cross the road where the speed limit is 60mph. I am also aware that the council have rejected a second bid to have the road inspected.

“I have personally walked the route from Delabole to Camelford, which is very dangerous for an adult, let alone a child to use, especially as the winter draws in with icy, dark mornings.

“The council needs to take this into consideration and understand that lives are at serious risk. I have publicly called on Adam Paynter, the Liberal Democrat leader of Cornwall Council, to walk the route so that he will understand the dangers of the road, but as of yet he has failed to do so.

“I commend Delabole Parish Council, who have offered to pay for the children’s bus passes on a month-by-month basis to ensure that they are able to get the education they deserve, and I hope that this issue will to be sorted out by the council in due course.”

A Cornwall Council spokesman said: “The council takes around 14,000 children to and from school each day, which costs about £15m a year. We follow national guidelines, which includes providing free transport to children over eight who live more than three miles from their school.

“In the case of the youngsters in Delabole who live closer than this to their school, the decision was reviewed twice and each time the same conclusion was reached. We appreciate this wasn’t what parents wanted to hear.

“The decision has now been referred to the local government ombudsman and we await the outcome of the review. Parents can pay for their children to travel on school transport if they don’t qualify for free travel, and families involved in the Delabole case have taken up this option.”