Minutes:
Councillor Hopgood referred to the carer concessionary bus pass scheme and advised that at present Durham County Council issues bus passes to parents/carers of disabled children who are unable to travel unaccompanied on public transport, however these passes are only issued to the parent/carer if the child is over 5 and therefore has a bus pass in their own right. Interpretation of the guidance is that the Council should only issue a pass to a parent/carer alongside the child’s pass.
This provides an anomaly for under 5’s in that they do not need a pass as travel is already free so therefore a parent/carer cannot obtain a pass until their child reaches the age of 5, a child with a disability whether they are under or over 5 years of age can still not travel unaccompanied.
Councillor Hopgood asked that the relevant Scrutiny Committee look at the scheme and establish a case either for or against the issues of passes.
Councillor Potts, Chairman of Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny agreed that the feasibility and costing of the scheme requires examination.
Resolved:
That Children and Young People’s Scrutiny examine the Carer Concessionary Bus Pass Scheme.