FAMILIES of children with special educational needs (SEN) have hit out at St Helens Council over post-16 travel charges.

The council has informed families they will have to pay an annual charge of £1,720 for transport to colleges or special-needs sixth-form from September.

However, some families will be able to receive a 75 per cent discount based on their personal circumstances.

In response to the charge, several families have sent co-ordinated letters to the council accusing it of not giving parents/carers sufficient time to make informed choices and therefore failing in its legal duties.

Chris Valentine-Smith, whose 16-year-old son Ethan has Down’s syndrome and autism, is one of the parents.

He believes the council is discriminating against children with special educational needs.

“When you reduce the ability of these children to get an education, it is discrimination,” the Bold ward resident said.

“You are reducing the ability just because they have got a disability.

“Other children do not have that problem.”

Mr Valentine-Smith said the council, like authorities across the country, is exploiting a loophole that allows it to impose a travel charge to post-16 learners.

The amount authorities charge varies widely depending on the region, with the fee in St Helens believed to be among the highest in England.

A council spokesman said the maximum charge has been set at the same level as the current adult social care transport charge, following a public consultation, to provide “equality of access” across council services.

“At a time when the council faces unprecedented budget pressures, a consultation was held last year to consider options in relation to local authority provided post-16 SEN school transport” the spokesman said.

“Following consultation, a maximum charge has been introduced which has been set at the same level as the current adult social care transport charge in order to provide equality of access across council services.

“Many students and families will not pay the full charge as there is a 75 per cent discount for families entitled to free school meals who are in receipt of universal credit/income support, or the highest level of working tax credit.

“In addition to local authority provided transport there are also a number of other transport options that students and their families might access including enhanced parental mileage, travel training and bus passes.

“The public consultation noted that the average cost of a place on authority provided post-16 transport is over £5,100 per student.

“As such, even following the introduction of charges, the authority will continue to provide a significant subsidy – on average £3,400 per place – towards the overall cost.”

Mr Valentine-Smith said the council has not been sympathetic to families who care for children with special educational needs.

“It makes me quite angry” he said. “They have not considered all the hardships we go through when you have children like this.

“They have just seen it as a money-making exercise that has upset a lot of affected families.”

The father of three also believes the charge will have an impact on the mental health of some parents.

“This is really going to affect parents financially and in terms of their morale,” he said.

“Their morale is going to be shot down and there will be more parents who will have their mental health affected by this.

“You can almost guarantee it, I’ll be one of them.”

In a statement released by the council, Cllr Joe Pearson, cabinet member for developing young people, blamed cuts from central Government for the charge.

“It is no surprise that this Government has again discriminated against St Helens residents.

“It has cut the grant for these students by a staggering 88 per cent over the past five years.

“Despite this, we chose to subsidise each student’s travel by £3,100 a year or 66 per cent of the cost.

“This support rises sharply for families on low incomes. We also chose to increase support for parents and guardians driving their own children to school.

“One third of shire or rural councils such as Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire etc, have been allocated more money for these students from the Government, and almost all of these councils have been treated more favourably than St Helens.”

Cllr Pearson said the council has promised to look into the matter for the parents who have written to the authority.