by Alan Smith

Parents are facing up to the prospect of children’s travel fees doubling, as invitations to renew Kent Freedom Passes land on the doormat.

Kent County Council introduced the Freedom Pass in 2008, giving 11 to 16-year-olds free travel on any bus not only to and from school, but outside school hours and at weekends.

There are 26,300 Freedom Pass holders in the county.
For three years, the council has charged a yearly fee of £50, but councillors voted to zap it up to £100 from this September.

Mum Kerry Stothart, of Willow Road, Larkfield, said: “This is a huge increase. Parents with more than one child at secondary school will be hit really hard. We are all struggling to stay afloat in these hard times.”

Mrs Stothart’s son Jay attends Holmesdale School in Snodland, two miles away, with her daughter Jessica due to join him in September.

She said: “I have a third child starting next year. That will be £300 a year to get them to school!”

The increase was fiercely opposed by parents in February when the council considered the increase. In four weeks, 5,633 people signed an online petition opposing the hike, but this fell short of the 12,000 signatures needed to force a debate.

Children in receipt of free school meals will continue to pay just £50 and Kent’s looked-after children and Kent’s Young Carers get the pass free.

Mrs Stothart said: “My husband and I both work, so we have no alternative but to pay up, as we can’t get time to take them to school ourselves. But it’s the hard-working families that are bearing the brunt of these cuts from all directions!”

A KCC spokesman said: “We recognise that some families will find this increase difficult, but the pass continues to be excellent value for money and in many cases savings of between £300 and £400 can be achieved in the cost of each child’s annual travel.”