Parents from Hyndburn have shared their ‘disgust’ after a proposal to cap school bus fares was voted against in a council meeting.

During Lancashire County Council’s budget meeting for the year last week (February 9), Labour proposed to cap school bus fares at £1.

A government scheme has been put in place to allow adults to travel across Lancashire on a £2 flat ticket but for parents in Hyndburn, many are having to fork out up to £80 a month to get their children to school.

The Labour Amendment to introduce a maximum £1 cap per day for return journeys for all LCC school children bus users was voted against.

Labour councillor for Great Harwood’s Netherton ward, cllr Noordad Aziz wrote: “I have been inundated from parents about the astronomical bus fare for school children to school. I worked with my colleagues to have a costed proposals to address this.

“This was defeated today by the Conservatives and your elected County Cllrs Loraine Cox, Peter Britcliffe, Carole Haythornthwaite and Terry Hurn voted against this proposal.

“Shortsighted and disappointing.”

Speaking on why the Hyndburn Conservative councillors voted against the bus fare cap proposal and free school meals, cllr Terry Hurn for Baxenden ward said: “We didn’t feel they had costed it out correctly and their main concern was to get it out of reserves which is not acceptable so we felt as though it was very last minute and not feasible.

“Because their proposal was very late coming to us we didn’t have much chance to look at it.

"We don’t want to turn these things down but you’re looking at finance for people, so in turn every individual would be paying extra for these amendments.”

One parent in the borough shared that it costs her £18 per week to get her daughter to and from school.

She wrote: “Come September my son will be going so that will be £36 per week just to send them to education. It's a complete joke. You can't even use these passes to get on any other bus evenings or weekends. It was free when I went to school.”

Another person commenting on Cllr Aziz’s post, shared that parents are forced to send their children to schools outside of the borough due to limited capacity.

One person said: “Who are these people that vote against? People without children? People on really good wages?

“People not knowing the daily struggles and having to pay nearly £80 a month to get your child schooled is an absolute joke! That is one child. Imagine child two, three, four. Yes, we chose to have children but we also have to work long hours to deal with the cost of living increase.

“Have some empathy and understanding conservatives. I am not a politician but what I do know is this would have made a massive difference! Sad times.”

The total cost of the proposed amendments totalled £2.1 million for 2023/2024 only which County Councillor Phillippa Williamson said was “shameful” to be “raising people’s expectations” with no long-term funding in place.