PLANS to scrap a school bus service for children on Droitwich’s Newland Estate were voted down in dramatic fashion.
At a meeting earlier today (Thursday), councillors were asked to debate whether to approve the savings identified in Worcestershire County Council’s draft budget for 2026/27.
The routes to school review, which would have axed several services including the Newland bus, estimated savings of £80,000.
But, despite most of the draft budget comfortably going through, councillors were deadlocked at 28 votes for and against the saving measure which would’ve seen the bus service scrapped.
This meant that council chair Coun Louis Stephen had the casting vote and chose not to carry the proposal.
An email to Coun Dan Birch by a council staff member, seen by the Standard, said the cost for providing the Newland bus – used by 57 pupils – was £87,000 per year.
Coun Birch, who opposes the move, told the Standard: “The numbers quite simply don’t add up. How can the overall savings be less than the cut?
“An overall saving of £80,000 that is going to make it harder for hundreds of children to get to school is not the right decision to be making.
“The savings don’t outweigh the cost this will have on the education of young people in Droitwich and elsewhere in the county.”
The letter added some pupils may have retained free home-to-school transport eligibility and, if so, some form of transport may have still been required, affecting the total saving.
The county council wrote letters to parents whose children use the transport in November and launched a public consultation.
The national statutory walking distance for pupils over eight years of age is three miles.
According to the county council, the distance between the estate and the school is under that limit, which removed the free home-to-school transport entitlement.
Council documents claim – like many other local authorities across the country – its budget for 2025/26 continues to face relentless demand and cost pressures in both Children’s Social Care and Adult Social Care placements,
Despite efforts to manage this in the year, the forecast remains a ‘significant overspend’.
The documents added: “The council’s budget is essentially fixed in cash terms and its ability to raise income is limited.
“The draft budget proposals seek to address the continuing net recurrent financial pressure we are facing from this financial year that will continue into 2026/27, as well as making projections for next year based on the best available information.”
