Taxpayers are paying for “waste and duplication” as the cost of getting children to school climbs higher, Conservatives have claimed. The party is alarmed that councils are not required to take into account whether parents have access to vehicles through the Motability scheme when they are asked to provide home to school transport for children with special needs and disabilities (SEND).
Research published by the Local Government Association found the cost of school transport for these children is predicted to reach nearly £2billion this year – around a 200% increase on a decade ago. The Motability scheme helps people receiving certain disability benefits lease vehicles. In 2024-25, more than £3billion in benefits were transferred into the scheme.
Shadow communities minister David Simmonds asked whether the Government has “issued guidance to local authorities on taking into account the provision of Motability Scheme transport to parents when considering requests for the provision of home to school transport for a SEND child”.
Education minister Georgia Gould said a “child’s eligibility for free travel is not affected by any further benefits or allowances a parent may receive, including the higher rate mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance which may (but need not) be used to lease a vehicle through the Motability scheme”.
She added: “For young people in post-16 education, it is for local authorities to make decisions about whether to take into account the provision of Motability scheme transport when considering requests for transport to education or training for a young person with special educational needs and disabilities.”
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Shadow Work and Pension Secretary Helen Whately said: “While there will always be cases of genuine need, we can’t ignore the growing strain this puts on the welfare system. Too many overlapping schemes and loopholes mean taxpayers are saddled with bigger bills. Hard-working people who play by the rules shouldn’t be responsible for waste and duplication.
“Only the Conservatives have a plan to cut the ballooning welfare bill, grow the economy, and get Britain working again.”
A source at the Department for Work and Pensions shot back: “The Tories oversaw the biggest increase in benefits spending in decades and left behind a failing welfare system. As a Government dedicated to the responsible management of public finances, we are looking at ways to make the Motability scheme fairer.”