Bus pass protests

Published 11 Feb 2010 09:29 5 Comments

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PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE MULGREW

By Jennifer Black

Hundreds of parents and pupils from St Benedict's High School have protested against Renfrewshire Council's decision to scrap free school buses.

The Gazette joined more than 300 people in Johnstone's Houston Square at 8am on Monday morning to walk the proposed safe route to the high school, in Linwood.

The march was organised by the school's Parent Council in response to last month's budget decision to increase the current school walking distance from two to three miles.

The move will affect more than 1,000 pupils in Renfrewshire, including 187 pupils from St Benedict's.

Parents say they have been left feeling betrayed by the council after they were promised free bus transport when the school was opened in 2006.

There are also fears for the childrens' safety because of the threat of violence from rival gangs and the long-term future of the school, if parents decide to move their children to another school.

Sandra Ross, chairwoman of the parent council, is delighted that the demonstration was so well attended.

She said: "We hope to bring to the attention how parents feel about this.

"This is not a safe route - no way.

"It's is all about our children's safety and as far as I'm concerned [the council] has totally disregarded that as well as the fact when this school was built they promised our parents that children from the Johnstone area would be transported in by bus - now it has reneged on that promise.

"Why should we have given up a Johnstone school to go to a greenfield site in Linwood when we are not getting transport?"

Parents and pupils were also joined by Douglas Alexander MP, Hugh Henry MSP and councillors Iain McMillan, Neil Bibby and John Hood.

Mr Alexander said: "We are working hard to try and change the SNP councils decision on busing the turnout today shows the strength of support for our cause and as the local MP I was determined to be here to show my support for Johnstone parents and to ask the council and force the council to think again."

The walk got under way shortly after 8am as the crowd made their way up the High Street towards Morrisons, before heading over the motorway fly-over towards the school.

The last of the protesters walked into St Benedict's School grounds shortly after 9am and as the pupils made their way into school, the rest of the crowd turned around and started walking home.

A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: "Our approach on transport to school is in line with the majority of other councils and with national statutory guidelines.

"We understand that parents have concerns about these proposals but we will be working with the roads department to tackle a number of issues identified when senior members of the council walked the safe route to the school. We will be meeting with parents later this week."

This article appeared in The Gazette 10 Feb 10

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Max B Gold
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Feb 11, 13:44
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Good to see the Labour Party apparatchiks supporting a good cause for once instead of voting to kill innocent civilians in Iraq.

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sid
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Feb 17, 13:42
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interesting post max but the problem we have here is if anyone had taken the time to ask the 5 labour politicians what they would cut instead you would have been deafened by the silence!

the cuts have to be made just don't expect the labour party to do or say anything positivernthe cuts should be made inside renfrewshire house not on the streets of renfrewshire

but as I have said before

Turkeys don't vote for xmas!!

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Ian Jones
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Feb 19, 14:24
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from the photos in the printed edition, it's clear that parents and children are actually walking on the road....doesn't exactly show the parents up as responsible does it! Also I believe a number of children were kept off school yesterday to protest at the council meeting - again - serious questions about the responsibility of the parents.

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alan michaels
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Feb 25, 10:40
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According to other reports most councils are now doing the same thing. I think the parents have got to be realistic - the country is practically bankrupt and councils are having their budgets squeezed. I would rather savings came from this than from services protecting vulnerable children - ie social work.

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MAC
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Apr 21, 15:57
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With the London Government still putting up the price of petrol and other fuels ,we will all have to get used to walking . The answer cheep electric vehicles and more trains. Horses cost too much.

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