An MP has accused North Yorkshire Council of proposing dangerous walking routes for schoolchildren, including crossing an active army firing range and scaling barriers on a major road.
Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, raised the issue during a parliamentary debate on home-to-school transport. He said the council had suggested routes that forced children to trespass on military land and climb over metal fences on the A64.
By law, councils must provide free transport for children living more than three miles from school (or two miles for under-8s). For shorter distances, they must demonstrate a safe walking route exists. Gordon argued that the routes recommended by North Yorkshire Council were clearly unsafe.
Jo Foster from the School Transport Action Group (STAG) said: "Families are being denied transport because of routes that expect children to trespass across private land, cross military land, climb fences, walk on water or make daily journeys across remote moorland paths."
North Yorkshire Council acknowledged it was under financial pressure, with home-to-school transport costs exceeding £52 million per year. Assistant director Jo Heaney said the council uses Ordnance Survey data to determine distances and routes, and that parents have the right to appeal if they believe a route is unsafe.
The government responded by highlighting investment in new free schools and £3.7 billion for special educational needs places to reduce travel distances and costs.