Rhondda Cynon Taf Labour Councillors cut school Transport why?

In February 2024, Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council made the controversial decision to cut back on home-to-school transport. As of September 2025, students in secondary schools and colleges who live just under three miles from their institution will be forced to find alternative transport.

In a move that exemplifies Labour’s heartless approach, they now expect our children to walk up to six miles each day, regardless of the weather. This isn’t just cruel; it’s becoming a hallmark of Labour’s tendency to target the most vulnerable in society – children and the elderly. This same Labour-run council that’s slashing essential services for children, made no mention of these cuts in their RCT Labour manifesto, much like their silence on reducing winter fuel payments for pensioners in the UK Labour manifesto. It appears that Labour’s underhandedness knows no bounds.

The fight to reverse these cruel cuts is being led by a Facebook group, Save the School Transport in RCT, founded by three parents. They have been tirelessly campaigning for months to safeguard their children’s right to school transport. Their campaign has garnered cross-party support, with backing from Beth Winter, former Labour MP for Cynon Valley, Conservative Councillor Karl Johnson, MS Heledd Fychan of Plaid Cymru, Karen Morgan of Plaid Cymru, leader of the opposition at RCT Council, and Councillors Dawn Wood (Plaid Cymru) and David Mathias (Liberal Democrats).

Despite repeated attempts to engage with Labour councillors, campaign leaders report either being ignored or blocked altogether. Residents would do well to remember this when it comes time to vote in the next local elections. With communication from RCT’s Labour councillors practically non-existent, campaigners have been forced to escalate their efforts.

A public protest has been organised for Saturday 19th October 2024 at 11 am, outside the RCT offices on Sardis Road, Pontypridd (CF37 1DU).

Campaign leaders are urging parents, grandparents, guardians, and affected students to attend. The more voices involved, the stronger the fight. Regular public meetings are being held around RCT, with updates posted on the Save the School Transport in RCT Facebook page.

Parents are also raising significant concerns over the safety of these walking routes. Assessments appear to have been made based on the assumption that parents will accompany their children, but for many working families, this simply isn’t feasible. The routes, as estimated by the campaign group, would take students over an hour each way – that’s in fair weather. On rainy days, children could end up sitting in wet clothes for hours, leading to illness, particularly for those with conditions like asthma or Osgood-Schlatter disease, a joint condition that can be exacerbated by long walks.

While it’s true that simply being wet doesn’t cause illness, prolonged exposure to cold, damp conditions certainly can weaken the immune system, making students more vulnerable to infections such as colds and flu. Is this truly what our Labour councillors have voted for?

This decision will impact a staggering 2,700 students, and yet, when the RCT Council conducted a so-called consultation, only 30 students were surveyed. Yes, just 30, out of thousands. It’s a disgrace.

Adding insult to injury, RCT’s public transport network is notoriously unreliable. Cancelled buses and trains are a regular occurrence, with Transport for Wales following the same dismal pattern as its predecessor, Arriva Trains Wales. How can Labour justify leaving families to rely on this broken system?

The Save the School Transport in RCT group has reached out to Eluned Morgan, Labour’s First Minister, but in typical fashion, the well-paid minister who relied on voters to secure her position has failed to respond to the very people who put her in office. This disregard for the public is all too common among Labour’s elite.

For many parents, the cost of transport is yet another burden. The idea that some can afford the current bus or train fares for one child, let alone two or more, seems entirely lost on Labour. Education should be the top priority, yet if students are at risk of arriving late for exams, and their ability to concentrate will inevitably suffer after lengthy, exhausting walks in inclement weather.

Although the Labour Council has stated that the routes are being “re-assessed”, will they exercise common sense, knowing the severe weather conditions we face here in RCT? These so-called “super schools” that have been built outside catchment areas make the council’s decision even more baffling – forcing children to walk miles, only to further overcrowd roads and increase pollution near schools.

School non-attendance will undoubtedly rise. Yet, RCT Labour continues to claim that cuts are necessary because of budget deficits. Is it the children’s fault that the council can’t manage its finances? No, this is purely a political decision to cut school transport – nothing more, nothing less.

The Save the School Transport in RCT group continues to press for answers but remains stonewalled by both the Labour-controlled council and the Welsh Parliament. Parents and campaigners alike are left asking: when will Labour put our children first?