New Council Leader from rural Suffolk fails to listen to rural Suffolk on school transport
Suffolk County Council claims to be listening. But not it seems to children, schools and families. Hicks only became Leader of Suffolk County Council days ago in late May promising that:
There is one common theme I wish to adopt across all aspects of our work and that is my pledge to adopt a new style of working — whether it be in this Chamber, in this building or throughout our county
My administration is committed to working collaboratively across Suffolk, with the district and borough councils, with the leaders of the health sector, and with business.
Notably he did not include schools in this list.
Despite these words when appointed Hicks is already being accused of ignoring the views of thousands of Suffolk residents by proposing to impose massive cuts to school transport. Yes he is trying to sugar coat the pill with some minor compromises and by phasing the changes in over seven years but these changes will damage the lives of thousands of Suffolk children. In the words of Hartismere High School’s Headteacher Jim McAtear:
It’s the equivalent of saying I am not going to destroy your world today, I am going to destroy your world tomorrow instead.
If this sounds a little over the top for proposals to cut school transport sadly it is not.
The withdrawal of both funding for school transport and ultimately the transport itself (even if you have money to pay for it) will make it impossible for yet more families to be able to live in rural Suffolk.
Already families struggle with a lack of housing they can afford with much family sized accommodation bought by people “downsizing” from elsewhere in the country. This pushes the price out of the reach of families and is starting to make some parts of the county virtually child free.
Schools in rural areas are losing pupil numbers due to a lack of children. Something our colleagues in towns and cities (many of whom have the opposite problem) struggle to comprehend.
But Matthew Hicks should know this all too well. He lives in a small village right in the middle of rural Suffolk. Indeed at the last meeting of Stradbroke Parish Council our County Councillor Guy McGregor pointed this out saying that he hoped this would mean that rural issues are no longer ignored with Matthew as leader. He reminded us that Matthew Hicks actually lives in his/our Suffolk County Council division.
So why is the new Leader of Suffolk County Council not taking issue with a policy that is clearly hostile to rural Suffolk?
I think the answer to this can be found in a report of a conversation with him at one of these “listening” events at the Suffolk show. At this event a local parent cornered Hicks and he gave this response on school transport:
Everything is seen as a long term strategy including money projected to be saved so any inconsistency in figures is put down as a short term blip rather than interfere with long term savings
Adult social care with aging population seen as just as, if not more important.
“Several voters in my parish don’t see why they have to pay for school buses; it’s just not relevant for them”
Schools losing pupils to the extent that redundancies would have to be made: “but others stand to gain”
Massive impact on social mobility amounting to possible discrimination based on family circumstances (only those pupils whose parents can’t afford to pay for a seat/drive themselves have to change schools…I did quote the European Convention on Human Rights to him!) > “that remains to be seen”
On significant and clear outcome of consultation: “ah yes but there’ll be many other views amongst those who haven’t replied to the consultation which we also need to take into account” (?!!)
I can well believe that where Hicks lives there are those who see this as irrelevant. All the schools near there have already closed. If this kind of policy continues not only will schools end up closing and/or making staff redundant but more and more of the county will become free of children and families. Is this really what people want? With few children and families who will look after the older people?
This cannot become a battle between young and old, between rural and urban. This must not be a choice between school transport and adult social care.
Hicks promised a new way of working. He promised to listen and collaborate. If these words are not to look completely hollow he needs to start doing that now.
Maybe he should take his “we are listening” stall and set it up outside Thurston Community College where he would meet hundreds of people who would see this issue as relevant.
