Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan has successfully lobbied the council to extend its current travel assistance to low income families attending a local school.
Last month, Portsmouth City Council opened a consultation to abolish the provision of school bus passes for children, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, who wish to attend their local faith based secondary school.
Hearing from those affected and concerned governors from St Edmund’s Catholic School, the City MP lobbied the Council raising issues from the school that children from low-income families who want to attend St Edmund’s would have this choice taken away from them because their families wouldn’t be able to afford the cost of the bus pass.
Following the letter from the MP, the Council has now confirmed that they will now revise their approach so that children from the lowest income families can continue to receive travel assistance to attend a Catholic school.
Stephen Morgan, Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, said:
“Particularly in the midst of a cost of living crisis, it’s vitally important that support is provided to those who need it most.
“Concerns were raised with me that the Council’s initial approach on this issue was going to disproportionately impact children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“I’m therefore pleased to have played my part in ensuring that the Council has now revised its decision to continue providing support to children from lower-income families.”
Mr Morgan is continuing to hold the government to account on issues impacting families in Portsmouth. This week he spoke in Parliament on the need to support vulnerable children.
