Tag Archives: post-16

Buses, eXplore card, New Strategic direction, Suffolk County Council, Transport, Uncategorized, young people

Explore card, RIP

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Today, April 1, is a sad day for Suffolk. Not only has Jeremy Pembroke, Leader of Suffolk County Council resigned, but there has been another departure, one which, in truth, will affect far more people in Suffolk far more immediately. Today the Tory administration that Mr Pembroke has led for the last 6 years has seen off the Suffolk Explore card.

Any of the 28,130 post-16 year old cardholders, relying on their Explore card to get to school, college or work will find that from today it will not be valid, and that from today they may be paying double the amount for the same journey, making other arrangements, or staying at home.

In connection with the same administration’s cuts in subsidised transport services (many of which also start today) this is a huge blow to the young, the poor and the rural – and most particularly to the young, rural, poor.

Currently the scheme has 52,555 card holders representing 55% of the eligible group. The Explore card was divided into two age ranges 5-15 (24,425 card holders ) and 16-19 (28,130 cardholders).

The only thing wrong with this card was that Suffolk County Council’s administration identified cutting it as a means of saving money.   A pretty safe move, if you’re not worried about social justice. After all, people can’t vote until they’re 18 – and by then they might have forgotten who was responsaible, or  might not be voting in Suffolk!

This cut was made halfway through the school and college year.   And who cares?   Certainly  not the administration who runs Suffolk County Council! They didn’t even do an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA)  before they decided to abolish our Explore card  because their pre-screening decided that :

there may be an adverse impact to the 15-19 age group but this is not unlawful discrimination as providing the scheme is not a statutory duty.  Concluding: This function should not move to a full impact assessment as it is a discretionary activity and has been indentified as a budget saving proposal.

Good excuse!

Can I mention that the press release notifying us of Mr Pembroke’s departure praises “his unquestioned commitment to protect the most vulnerable in society”.

Right.

Notes
Please continue signing the petition to save SCC’s  eXplore cards We need to get 3,675 signatures to get this decision back to Council – and now have less than 1,000 to go.
The Explore card scheme was the brainchild of Suffolk County’s previous Liberal-Labour coalition, started in January 2005, and was designed to help tackle social isolation by enabling young people to travel cheaply from rural areas to the main urban centres in the county as well as within those urban centres. It is also designed to assist the local economy of Suffolk by enabling access for young people to retail and leisure opportunities. The scheme is also PASS approved and therefore qualifies as a Proof of Age card.
Currently the scheme has 52,555 card holders representing 55% of the eligible group. The Explore card is divided into two age ranges 5-15 (24,425 card holders ) and 16-19 (28,130 cardholders).
In Leicestershire a similar county council proposal for withdrawal of non-statutory bus services triggered an immediate EIA (unlike here in Suffolk)  which concluded public consultation  with all  affected groups is essential (unlike here in Suffolk) , including special interest organisations,invited to comment publicly on the proposals to curtail non-statutory service provision (unlike here in Suffolk).  Consultation documentation to be available by web, post (and large print on request). Once more, unlike here in Suffolk!

EMA, eXplore card, Schools, Transport, Uncategorized, young people

What will be replacing EMA?

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Remember – although EMA has been abolished, this doesn’t mean that post-16 students will  be left high and dry (although some people want you to believe this, for purely political reasons). Instead the coalition  are proposing a new allowance that will be targeted at those who need it most.

This is very good news for those who are worried that loss of EMA will prevent them attending school or college

The government’s intentions about EMA are therefore very different  to Suffolk County Council’s disgraceful and undemocratic decision to scrap Suffolk’s Explore card tomorrow – right in the middle of the academic year.  There was not even a figleaf of a consultation or ‘conversation.’  So please don’t stop signing the Save the Explore Card petition and pressing for this decision to be reversed. We are now only 1000 signatures short!

The government’s proposals are that:

  • Everybody who started their course this academic year and is on the £30 per week rate will continue at the current rate to the end of the academic year  and will receive payments of £20 per week in their second year.
  • All students on EMA who started their course in the 2009/10 academic year will continue to receive the full rate.
  • An additional £15 million will be set aside to provide bursaries of £1,200 for the most vulnerable students, for example those in care, with severe disabilities or single parents living on their own. This is more than the maximum available to students currently on EMA.
  • Finally, schools, colleges and training providers will have £165 million put into a discretionary learner support fund each year which will be available for them to distribute to students facing financial need.
    This is the equivalent of just over £800 for every young person who received free school meals at the age of 15.

Across the country students face very different costs and barriers to attending school or college. In some places – such as huge swathes of rural Suffolk –  students have to travel a long distance to attend, or may find it hard to get transport. On the other hand, some courses involve prohibitively costly equipment.  Under the new plans schools and colleges can decide individually exactly how to distribute the money available to support their students in need.

The government wants to have a short consultation on its plans. You have till the 20 May to respond to this consultation – which you can do online.

So, if you get or got EMA, if you are a parent, grandparent or friend of someone who had it, has it, or will need support in the future  – or if you are just interested in social justice, please  add your two pennorth. We can ensure properly targeted support for the workers of the future if we all contribute to the decision-making!

Buses, cuts, eXplore card, Suffolk County Council, Transport, Uncategorized, young people

Explore Card petition update: a SURGE of signatures!

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There’s a fantastic response to this petition (click to sign).  Thanks to a very active Facebook campaign,  support is snowballing  –  with hundreds of signatures added today!

Brilliant news – when you realise that – under Suffolk County Council’s constitution, once a petition has reached 3,675 signatures, the petitioner can take it before full council for the decision to be looked at again.  The petitioner (Patrick Gillard) tells me he is only too keen to do this.  We’re now over a quarter of the way there!

Please SIGN. Get your friends to SIGN. Get your Family to SIGN.  And then ask THEM to ask every Suffolk resident they know to SIGN. Show Suffolk County Council that this is one cut too many.

There are 51,000 Explore card users in Suffolk and 50,000 are yet to sign. Make sure they know about this – and when they do know, make sure they sign!