The Members Home to School Transport Appeals Panel met on Wednesday 30 September 2026 to consider an appeal regarding free school transport. The panel unanimously resolved to refuse the appeal.

Appeal Against Free School Transport Refusal

The panel considered an appeal by applicant SRT against the authority's decision not to provide free school transport. The appeal was lodged after the Stage 1 Review Panel refused the request, stating that the designated school was within the statutory walking distance and therefore did not meet the criteria outlined in the Council's Home to School Transport Policy.

Following a review of the written representations from the appellant, observations from departmental officers, and an assessment of the walking route from SRT's home address to the designated school, the panel unanimously resolved to refuse the appeal. This decision was made in line with the Authority's Home to School Transport Policy, as SRT's home address was within the statutory walking distance of the designated Local Education Authority School, and the walking route was assessed as suitable according to Welsh Government Criteria.

Due to the personal information contained within the report relating to the applicant, the panel resolved not to publicize the content of the report. This decision was made after applying a public interest test, which concluded that the need to protect the applicant's and their family's identity outweighed the public interest in maintaining transparency and accountability in the decision-making process.

The meeting was attended by Councillor E.G. Thomas (Chair), Councillor G. Davies, S. Rossiter (Assistant Solicitor), A. Evans (Operations Manager - Passenger Transport), K. A. Phillips (Passenger Transport Policy & Development Manager), G. Thomas (Assistant Schools Admissions Officer), K. Evans (Democratic Services Officer), and K. James (Solicitor, observing).