The Members Home to School Transport Appeals Panel met on 3 September 2025, under the chairmanship of Councillor Edward Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure, to consider an appeal regarding home to school transport. The panel unanimously agreed to exclude the public from the meeting to protect the identity of the applicant and their family. They then considered the appeal but ultimately voted to refuse it.

Home to School Transport Appeal

The panel considered an appeal by applicant T.L.M. & W-L. M. against the council's decision not to provide free school transport. Kelly Phillips, Passenger Transport Policy & Development Manager, and Euros Anthony, Senior School Admissions Officer, were present to provide observations to the panel.

The panel voted to refuse the appeal because T.L.M. & W-L. M did not meet the criteria outlined in the council's policy for the provision of assistance, as they were not attending the nearest or Local Education Authority designated school for their home address, due to parental preference.

Before discussing the appeal, the panel unanimously agreed to exclude the public from the meeting, as the report contained exempt information as defined in Paragraph 12 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972¹. The panel felt that while disclosure would support transparency and accountability, the public interest in maintaining confidentiality outweighed this, due to the need to protect the identity of the applicant and their family.