The leader of Warwickshire County Council has vowed to defy the will of fellow councillors and stand by his controversial letter to government over home-to-school transport.

Councillor George Finch (Reform UK, Bedworth Central) suffered the first major defeat of his tenure when all opposition councillors railed against his request to central government to be able to extend the maximum distances families are expected to travel to get children to school without transport assistance.

Reform UK is in charge at Shire Hall but without a majority. It means other political groups have the numbers to outvote them if they choose to object en masse.

The Conservatives – in power until Reform UK claimed the most seats in May's local elections – had either supported or at least not gone against their rivals until last week when Councillor Jan Matecki (Con, Budbrooke & Bishop's Tachbrook) brought forward a motion asking for the letter to be withdrawn.

It came as no surprise that everyone bar the Reform UK councillors got behind it but Cllr Finch told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he has no intention of complying.

"In response to the motion, request denied," he said.

"It was quite a simple one really, will you do it? No, I won't withdraw the letter because the letter is actually what the people of Warwickshire want.

"There was a consultation for the budget and it clearly stated that one of the three areas people want to see reduced is home-to-school transport. 

"As an administration we are looking at all avenues to do that without affecting disabled children, SEN (special educational needs) kids and the ones in the most deprived areas."

The council's completed budget consultation – separate to the ongoing home-to-school transport consultation – had 554 responses, 79 of which were from county council staff. It acknowledges residents aged 16-39 were "underrepresented" in the responses.

When asked to prioritise areas for spending reductions, 30 per cent (161 people) had home-to-school transport in their top three.

More than half (303) said home-to-school transport was either important or very important, but that was behind all bar one of the other services highlighted.

Warwickshire's population is more than 600,000 people.

The letter

A national standard currently applies to home-to-school transport eligibility. Children aged under eight can access council-funded provision if they are two miles or more from their nearest available school place. That distance is three miles for those over eight. 

The bill for such provision has almost trebled from £17.2 million in 2018-19 to projections of more than £50 million this financial year.

The council's change programme is looking to reduce provision to, or close to, the statutory minimum and is being consulted on now.

Cllr Finch's letter, which was published on his social media platforms, asked for the council to have leeway to increase the distances "where it makes sense to do so in a local area".

He said 16 per cent – more than one in seven children – could lose automatic eligibility if the distance was increased by two miles.

While that was caveated with a commitment to "assess the potential impacts" and complete necessary consultations, and although it does not form part of the plans the council is currently consulting on, Cllr Finch endured a backlash.

The debate

Proposing the motion at last week's meeting of full council, Cllr Matecki said Cllr Finch's request had been made "without consultation or evidence" and that it was "not just tone-deaf but reckless".

"It's policy-making by post and it ignores the realities faced by parents every single day," he said.

He challenged Cllr Finch to "set an example" and walk from Coventry railway station when travelling to Shire Hall – approximately 10 miles, the round trip a parent would cover if they had to walk up to five miles to get a child to school.

"That is what you are asking parents, and possibly older persons such as grandparents, to do," he argued. 

"If walking long distances is such a sound policy for others, surely the leadership should lead the way."

Cllr Finch said the motion had come as "quite a shock" and accused Cllr Matecki of being "complicit" in the bill trebling "under his watch".

"A few councillors have said that this letter has caused upset with the general public but the letter does not state that it will do the things you have been saying," he added.

"It is opposition councillors that are spreading this misinformation on these issues… The letter clearly states that we are not going to increase the statutory walking distance to five miles, it doesn't do that.

"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? 

"This motion, that you will all be supporting, will not solve the issue. It is political, it is personal vendetta, it will not solve this issue and again, it is brushing this matter under the rug."

He also argued that "parental responsibility is the main point in this" and told opponents: "You will bankrupt this council."

Councillor Nicki Scott (Green, Warwick South) recalled the "really good" alternatives raised by Cllr Finch in past meetings, including looking at the value in current contracts.

"I don't understand why you didn't pursue it," she said. 

"If you have, I have no idea that you have because you haven't mentioned it since, so I am afraid this is all about you and it is all about your actions."

Conservative group leader Councillor Adrian Warwick (Fosse) said his group's motion amounted to "a very clear no".

"What we are looking at here is the delivery of statutory duties," he told Cllr Finch. 

"You should have understood that before you came to power and you will certainly be understanding it now.

"This is not the area to be making cuts. I hope you think very carefully before a letter like this goes out again."

In his conclusion, Cllr Matecki told Cllr Finch he had inherited a home-to-school transport budget of £39.5 million when he became portfolio holder for transport and planning in May 2023 and that subsequent rises had been related to SEND transport, which Cllr Finch has promised to protect. 

"I put the brakes on, we put things in place to prevent it going higher," he added.

Cllr Matecki also dismissed accusations of playing politics. 

"Parents are absolutely mortified by that letter and it is only right that we as elected members stand up for residents," he said.