Councillors have called for an end to a “ridiculous” and “unfair” school transport rule that means some pupils travelling to Ripon Grammar School qualify for free bus travel while those attending the school just 200 feet away do not.

Ripon Grammar School and Outwood Academy Ripon are directly opposite each other on Clotherholme Road and use the same drop-off point.

But North Yorkshire Council changed its school transport policy in 2024, meaning free travel is generally available only to a child’s nearest school, rather than any school within their catchment area, for pupils living at least three miles away.

The change has created the bizarre situation where children from some villages around Ripon can receive free transport to one of the two schools but not the other, despite the schools being virtually side by side.

Some parents have been forced to pay up to £800 per child for bus passes as a result.

North Yorkshire Council is now carrying out a post-implementation review of the policy. It is considering potential changes, including greater clarity over how routes and distances are assessed and improvements to mapping and route data.

Call for both schools to be treated as ‘nearest’

Ripon City Council unanimously backed a proposal last night (October 5) calling on North Yorkshire Council to “exercise common sense” and recognise both Ripon Grammar School and Outwood Academy Ripon as the nearest school for families living in villages around Ripon.

The motion was proposed by Cllr Sherrie Hunt, a member of the ruling Independent Putting Ripon Before Party Politics group.

It said the change would:

“Remove the unfair situation where parents of children living to the north of Ripon qualify for transport to Ripon Grammar School but those living to the south do not.”

However, councillors rejected an amendment from Liberal Democrat Cllr Barbara Brodigan calling for North Yorkshire Council to implement the change immediately and apply it retrospectively to families who had been denied free transport in 2025 and 2026.

Cllr Brodigan is one of two Ripon city councillors who also sit on North Yorkshire Council. The other is Cllr Andrew Williams, leader of the Independent Putting Ripon Before Party Politics group on the city council.

Cllr Brodigan said the Liberal Democrat group at Northallerton had been “fighting for fair school transport since the disastrous decision to remove catchment transport”.

She said she hoped Cllr Williams would support the city council’s motion, pointing out that he is a member of the Conservative and Independents group which controls North Yorkshire Council and which voted for the policy change.

She added that the group had “subsequently voted against attempts to restore catchment transport twice”.

Cllr Brodigan said:

Boroughbridge school ‘at risk’

Cllr Brodigan also claimed the new policy was “reducing pupil numbers and putting schools at risk”.

She said Boroughbridge High School had lost one form of pupils in 2025 and 2026, partly as a result of the change in school transport arrangements.

She added:

“Despite claims of savings, there is no evidence that the promised savings have been realised.”

Cllr Williams said he had consistently raised concerns about the “anomaly” affecting the two Ripon schools, but maintained that the wider school transport policy was fair and clear.

He said:

“Clearly, when voting initially for the policy I expected common sense to be applied in terms of the fact both schools are directly opposite each other and use the same car park.

“But it seems unfortunately a degree of common sense hasn’t been applied.”

Cllr Williams said the new policy was expected to save £4 million.

He also said he had personally chosen to spend £1,500 to send his daughter to an out-of-catchment school, adding: “I don’t expect local taxpayers to foot that bill.”

Turning his criticism on the Liberal Democrats, he said: