https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/18/wales-free-transport-bridgend-council/

Apologies I can't set the link properly

by Glanwy

19 comments

  1. It’s not often I find myself agreeing with the Tories, but offering free transport only to Welsh speakers is utterly wrong. 

    It’s not even like anyone can claim they’re trying to encourage people to choose Welsh language education – at 16 it’s too late to suddenly switch – it’s just divisive anti-English sentiment making its way into public policy. 

  3. EDIT: Here’s a link to the council’s actual announcement

    [https://www.bridgend.gov.uk/news/reluctant-changes-agreed-for-learner-transport-in-face-of-funding-issues/](https://www.bridgend.gov.uk/news/reluctant-changes-agreed-for-learner-transport-in-face-of-funding-issues/)

    Quote from the story to save everyone a click

    >On its website, Bridgend council said: “Free transport for nursery pupils and post-16 learners will no longer be available, but will continue for those attending Welsh-medium and faith schools who live beyond the qualifying distances.

    From what I understand of the situation the reason that Welsh medium schools retain free transport is that the Local Authority won’t pay for transport if a child lives within a given (2-3 mile) distance of *any* local authority school. That is, if you live up the road from Primary School A but you send your kids to Primary School B 5 miles away the council won’t pay for the transport because, as far as they’re concerned, both schools are as good as each other.

    However, parents who want to exercise their right to a Welsh Medium education only have access to 5 primary schools and one secondary within the whole of Bridgend CBC, so most will not be going to their nearest local authority school as it will be English Medium and IIRC its not legal for the Local Authority to force English medium education on parents by charging transport costs to the closest Welsh Medium school.

  6. Shock horror, Telegraph twisting a story for outrage and clicks. Worse than most of the tabloids nowadays, sad to see.

  7. Telegraph “Welsh council only offering free transport to Welsh speakers”

    actual council article, due to budget cuts we will no longer be providing free school buses to ANY pupil that lives closer to their school than reasonable walking distances, and no free transport to nursery age kinds and over 16s unless they attend a Welsh or faith school and live over the qualifying distance from the school.

    Seems pretty obvious that its a blanket cut to all free school transport with exception made for two smaller age groups/demographics based on the fact that for nursery or post 16s attending institutions with reduced availability and as such wont be able to move schools to get under the qualifying distance if needed.

    The telegraph is presenting this as some horrific blanket discrimination when really is an across the board cut with exceptions made for the two groups that wont be able to make the same changes that the other groups can if necessary because of it.

    So just more standard made up fear/hatemongering from the right about the Welsh language, In other news its raining somewhere in Wales and its still a bit grim in Newport nothing to see here folks, move along.

  9. Typical. An English news paper tries to twist a story to make it sound anti english.

    When reading it sounds like the Welsh language and the faith schools are a greater distance than the English language school.

  10. Notice how they conveniently seem to leave out faith schools from the headline. it’s as if they’re trying to stoke division……..

  12. Can we ban Telegraph articles on this sub? Add them to the list of shitrags like The Sun.

  13. Why do faith based school kids get free transport. To me if you are choosing a religious education for your kid, you should also be paying associated expenses also.

  14. Well this could be the answer for all those overprivileged toffs whining that VAT on sending their sprogs to £50k a year public schools means it’s not worth them working so hard to pay for it.

    Move to Bridgend, learn Welsh and get free buses.

  16. This is why journalism has become one of the least respected professions.

  17. The telegraph posted just yesterday about a town in Wales where English speakers weren’t welcome which was incredibly misleading.
    Why the sudden pump in anti Welsh media? Have they ran out of marginalised groups to target?

  18. Funny thing is, there *was* free transport for those in Welsh sets and not English sets in my school when I was a teen some 16 years ago.

    However, that is not what this is. It’s just the Telegraph being… the Telegraph.

  19. These days, if you speak in English, they’ll arrest you and put you in jail.

Leave a Reply