The leader of Warwickshire County Council has declared he will ignore a formal vote of the authority and stand by his controversial letter to central government concerning home-to-school transport.
Opposition Unites Against Reform UK Leader
Councillor George Finch, who leads the Reform UK administration, faced a significant political setback when all opposition councillors backed a motion calling for him to withdraw the letter. The motion, proposed by Conservative councillor Jan Matecki, passed with the support of every non-Reform member present.
Reform UK runs the council at Shire Hall but does not hold an overall majority. This means other parties can outvote them when they act collectively, a scenario that played out in this dispute.
In a blunt response to the passed motion, Cllr Finch told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "In response to the motion, request denied." He added, "No, I won't withdraw the letter because the letter is actually what the people of Warwickshire want."
The Contentious Letter and Rising Costs
The national standard currently entitles pupils under eight to council-funded transport if they live two miles or more from their nearest suitable school. For children over eight, the distance is three miles.
Cllr Finch's letter, which he posted on social media, asked the government for flexibility to extend these distances "where it makes sense to do so in a local area." He revealed that extending the distance by two miles could see more than one in seven children lose automatic entitlement.
The council leader argues the move is necessary due to spiralling costs. The bill for home-to-school transport has soared from £17.2 million in 2018-19 to a forecast exceeding £50 million this financial year.
He cited the council's budget consultation, which received 554 responses, noting that 30% of respondents ranked home-to-school transport in their top three areas for potential spending cuts.
A Heated Political Clash
The debate in the council chamber was fierce. Proposing the motion, Cllr Matecki accused Cllr Finch of acting "without consultation or evidence" and labelled the letter "not just tone-deaf but reckless."
"It's policy-making by post and it ignores the realities faced by parents every single day," he stated. He challenged Cllr Finch to walk from Coventry railway station to Shire Hall – a round trip of roughly 10 miles – to experience the journey a parent might face.
Cllr Finch hit back, branding the motion a "political" act and a "personal vendetta." He accused opposition councillors of spreading "misinformation" and claimed the letter did not propose raising the statutory walking distance to five miles.
"What I am suggesting is if we as local taxpayers have to pay £50 million a year towards home-to-school transport, why do we not get full power over how to solve the problem?" he argued, warning opponents: "You will bankrupt this council."
Other councillors expressed frustration. Green Party councillor Nicki Scott questioned why earlier ideas for reviewing transport contracts had not been pursued, while Conservative group leader Adrian Warwick stated the motion was a "very clear no" and told Cllr Finch: "This is not the area to be making cuts."
The council's consultation on changes to its home-to-school transport policy remains ongoing, separate from the budget consultation cited by Cllr Finch.
