From School Bus to Shopfront: MPs Demand Fairer Access

High-Level Summary

Westminster Hall held two general debates on home‑to‑school transport and on Government support for high street businesses. Members highlighted rising costs, rural impacts and statutory gaps—particularly for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)—and urged better alignment of transport eligibility with admissions and action on the post‑16 “cliff edge.” Ministers cited existing funding and policy tools, including SEND place expansion, data on transport‑related absence, and work on safeguarding, alongside high street measures such as innovation funding, tougher enforcement against organised crime, rental auctions and banking hubs. Both debates ended with the formal resolution that the House had considered the subjects, with no divisions.

Detailed Summary

Home-to-School Transport — Westminster Hall (Derek Twigg in the Chair)

Opening the debate, Tom Gordon said the promise that transport should not be a barrier to education is “under serious strain.” He cited Public Accounts Committee findings that the Department for Education “does not know whether this spending is achieving value for money.” He described a disconnect between admissions and a transport framework interpreted ever more narrowly as “for the ‘nearest school only’”, and criticised walked‑route assessments that include “riverside paths, farm tracks, roads with no pavements or street lights”. Referring to campaigners, he quoted: “North Yorkshire Council has lost the plot on home to school transport”. He called for statutory guidance to cover the nearest or catchment school, reinstatement of the rural services delivery grant, wider statutory minima, and mandatory data collection.

Rachel Gilmour flagged a “complete drop-off at age 16” for SEND transport. Kevin McKenna reported opaque appeals and tougher criteria for post‑16 SEND transport in Kent. Julian Smith said North Yorkshire had been “forced to move to a policy of nearest local school,” with anomalies affecting families and school rolls. Rishi Sunak warned some families were being directed to remote schools via roads “often unpassable and unsafe in the winter months” and urged use of discretionary powers. Josh Babarinde highlighted safeguarding gaps, noting “there is no statutory requirement to report incidents of physical restraint on home-to-school transport” and calling for national standards.

For the Government, the Minister for School Standards, Georgia Gould, said the fair funding review includes “a distinct home-to-school transport relative needs formula” and that the Department has “added a new absence code” with data showing a small share of missed sessions due to local authority-arranged transport. She set out investment “into 60,000 new places” for SEND, agreed to meet Josh Babarinde and the family he raised, and stated there is “no intention to look at means testing” and “We are not in the business of reducing disabled children’s rights to transport”. On post‑16, she noted local authorities’ statutory duty and said the Government would “look carefully” at consultation responses. Decision: “Resolved, That this House has considered home-to-school transport.” Next steps mentioned included the Ministerial meeting and consideration of consultation responses; further departmental data developments beyond the absence code were not stated in the transcript.

High Street Businesses: Government Support — Westminster Hall (Emma Lewell in the Chair)

Olly Glover said high streets are “struggling as never before”, citing research that “63% of small businesses believed that the high street as we know it will be obsolete in the next 10 years.” He highlighted three themes: rising costs and taxes (supporting a 5% VAT cut for hospitality), transport and access, and local funding pressures, asserting that “this Labour Government have decided to scrap those funds” (UK Shared Prosperity and Rural England Prosperity). Phil Brickell warned of illicit activity hollowing out town centres, noting: “The number of vape shops in England has grown by nearly 1,200%” and proposing a UK version of the Dutch Bibob regime. Jim Shannon pointed to falling footfall—“now there are 10 or 11” empty shops in Newtownards—and high card‑processing fees. Will Forster relayed sector pressures, quoting a brewery closure as “death by a thousand cuts” and citing a “340%” rates rise for a salon. Charlie Maynard said “161 pubs—nearly two per day—closed” in the year’s first quarter. The Opposition argued for business rates reform and restraint on cumulative costs; one contribution stated “we have got permanently higher business rates”.

Replying, the Minister, Blair McDougall, referred to the small business strategy and said the Government “will… bring forward a cross‑Government high streets strategy”. He highlighted High Streets Innovation Partnerships as “a £301 million package”, plans for Post Office community hubs, and a business rates “£4.3 billion support package,” adding that lower multipliers shifted the burden “on to the big warehouses”. On crime, he cited “13,000 additional personnel” in neighbourhood policing, engagement with the Dutch Bibob approach, and a forthcoming consultation on strengthening closure orders. He also announced £10 million to expand high street rental auctions and support for banking access via “350 banking hubs, 235 of which are already open”. Decision: “Resolved, That this House has considered Government support for high street businesses.” Next steps referenced included bringing forward the high streets strategy, the consultation on closure powers, expansion of rental auctions, and continued roll‑out of banking hubs.