Content

Salford City Council - Record of Decision
 
I Paul Dennett, City
Mayor, in exercise of the powers contained within the City Council
Constitution do hereby
approve: the
consultation on a review of the Post 16 transport
policy.
The Reasons are:
The proposals within this
consultation will be to provide, where appropriate, a Personal
Transport Budget rather than Local Authority organised transport,
to support young people to attend their education provision. The
provision of personal budgets will promote independent travel for
young people which is a key pillar of our Preparation for Adult
Life aspirations for the children and young people in the
city.
Options considered and rejected were:

To not proceed with a
consultation. This was rejected as it is appropriate to consult
with stakeholders to gain views on proposals.
Assessment of Risk: 
Medium – there is a
reputational risk to the council as families and young people may
feel that the removal of council arranged transport will introduce
barriers to them attending their education setting.
The source of funding is: The
Revenue budget.
Legal Advice obtained: Louise Curtis, Senior Solicitor
The consultation aligns with
current government guidance and legislation.
Financial Advice obtained:
Natalie Mannion – Finance
Manager
The consultation proposal aims
to replace council-organised transport for post-16 learners with
Personal Travel Budgets (PTBs), calculated primarily on
mileage
.

·        
Current post-16 SEND transport cost: £1.68m
annually.

·        
Forecast savings assume 30% of the cohort remains on
commissioned transport, while 70% moves to Personal Transport
Budgets (PTBs).
 
Estimated savings:

·        
Year 12 only in Year 1: £0.086m in year one
(25 weeks), rising to £0.534m by year four.

·        
Full rollout in Year 1 (Years 12–14 and
post-19):  £0.351m in year one (25
weeks) and £0.534m recurring annually after full
implementation.

·        
Year one will a part year saving in line with the
academic year starting in September 2026.

Implementation Costs

·        
Administrative and system changes for PTB
processing.

·        
Staff training and potential increase in casework
for individual assessments and complaints

·        
Consultation costs and stakeholder engagement
activities.

Budget Pressure Context

·        
SEND transport overspend in 2024/25 was
£2.29m, highlighting the urgency of reform.

·        
Home-to-school transport spend has increased by 118%
over five years, now representing 8.5% of Children’s Services
total spend.
Procurement Advice obtained: Not applicable
HR Advice obtained: Not Applicable
Climate Change Advice obtained:
The provision of a Personal
transport budget could lead to additional vehicles on road making
individual journeys.
 
The following documents
have been used to assist the decision process:
Post 16 Transport policy
Post 16 Transport Policy 2023
Contact Officers:  Cathy Starbuck, Director Education and Inclusion.
 

·        
This decision is subject to consideration for
briefing purposes by the Lead Member for Children and Young People.
The Lead Member is supportive of the decision.

·        
The appropriate scrutiny to call-in the decision is
Children’s Scrutiny Panel.
     

 

Signed:
     Paul Dennett                                            
  Dated:  27.01.26  .
                       
City Mayor
 

For
Democratic Services use only

 

This decision was
published on  27.01.26.                                          

This decision will
come in force at 4.00 p.m. on 03.02.26 unless it is called-in in accordance with the
Decision Making Process Rules.