School transport row has 'split village in half,' claim parents

PARENTS and children have shared their anger after the removal of a school bus service in their area led to them having to walk for almost an hour to and from school.

- TWM OWEN Local democracy reporter

After Monmouthshire council cancelled free transport for any pupil within a certain radius of their school for the new academic year, some families said they have been left having to make the long walk from home.

Mother-of-three Jenny Sullivan, whose children attend the Dell Primary School in Chepstow and live in the village of St Arvans, said her children now face a 55-minute walk to school after the changes came into force earlier this month.

She said her eldest child must also walk along a 50mph road and a shared cycle path in order to get to secondary school.

Last term, the family qualified for free transport, however that was removed when the new academic year began earlier this month after Monmouthshire council altered the qualifying distances in a bid to cut costs.

Under the new rules, pupils must live a further distance away from school to qualify for free transport.