MP presents school bus petition

Mike Penning presented a petition from Little Gaddesden villagers about the unfair allocation of free school bus places in the village.

Mike Penning MP presented a petition in the Houses of Parliament last week from the residents of Little Gaddesden concerning the school bus service from the village to Tring. The petition calls on the Government to rectify the unfair and divisive situation and provide free school transport for all pupils regardless of their home within the village.

The petition states:

The Petition of residents of Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire, and others,

Declares that residents of the village are deeply unsatisfied with the current allocation of free school transport from the village of Little Gaddesden to Tring school; further declares that the treatment of children living in the Little Gaddesden pupil catchment area for Tring school is unfair and divisive.

The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to rectify the situation and provide free school transport for all pupils regardless of the location of their home within the village

And the Petitioners remain, etc.

Speaking afterwards, Mike said:

“I am happy to support the residents in this case. Whilst I appreciate that there have to be rules, I do firmly believe that common sense should also be applied and it is without doubt unfair that pupils in different parts of the same village receive different treatment.

“One of the recent changes of the petition system is that all petitions presented to Parliament are required to receive a Ministerial response. I look forward to the Government response on this issue. This is a straightforward case that could be solved with the stroke of a pen.”

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