The parents of a special needs pupil at an Altrincham school have WON a battle with Trafford Council to have their son’s bus service reinstated.
Claudette and Steve Nelson’s son Taiyo was one of 16 special needs teenagers at Brentwood School to have their bus service withdrawn by the council last year in a move designed to save £70,000.
We reported last month how the decision had had a devastating effect on the severely autistic 18-year-old, leading to him self-harming and reliant on anti-anxiety medication.
But Claudette has now revealed that a complaint about Trafford’s decision to the Local Government Ombudsman – a watchdog for councils – has been successful.
She said in a post on SOS Trafford, a Facebook group for affected parents and supporters, said: “Just received an email from the ombudsman about Taiyo’s transport & they have ruled in our favour. It has come to light to the ombudsman that the council has treated us unfairly & they have found a few failures & faults with the post 16 home / school transport policy for our kids, as the moment the exceptional circumstance only applies to children that have a physical disability.
“The evidence suggests that when making the decision that the council FAILED to consider the view that Taiyo was unable to travel independently because of his social, communication & cognition deficits. In the ombudsman view the policy excluded from consideration young people whose physical mobility is unimpaired, but who have social, communication, behavioural or cognition deficits.”
Claudette said the council have now been told to give the Nelsons a written apology, adding: “I am so pleased with this outcome. Let’s continue the fight. Never give up.”
Sally Wheatman, who has spearheaded SOS Trafford, paid tribute to the “exceptional” Nelsons.
She said: “They re-arranged their working hours to make sure they could take Taiyo to and from school. At the same time they continued to fight this unjustified decision which had such a terrible impact on their son. I am delighted for them and hugely grateful, for all our young people, that they didn’t give up.”
Wheatman, whose disabled son George was one of the children affected by the council’s decision, did however question Trafford’s failure to see the flaws in its policy.
“When this vital service was withdrawn in September last year, we parents felt it was so blatantly unfair that it must have been a mistake,” she said.
“We have campaigned tirelessly and asked repeatedly for Trafford Council to reconsider. They have not. Whilst we are delighted with the Ombudsman’s ruling, it is worrying that, with their team of legal advisers, the council was unable to see the flaws in their policy or to reconsider once these flaws were highlighted.
“Those who have paid the biggest price for this cruel approach have been our young people and their families. It has caused unnecessary hardship to those already under huge stress to manage the demands of caring for a young person with a learning disability, hold down a job and fulfil their other family responsibilities.”
