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A growing number of Greater Manchester MPs are calling on Andy Burnham to make a small but life-changing change to the Bee Network: free school bus passes for homeless children forced into temporary accommodation far from their classrooms.
The latest to join the call is veteran Labour MP Graham Stringer, who has represented parts of north Manchester, Salford, and Rochdale for nearly three decades.
He says giving children in temporary accommodation a free bus pass would be “an enormous help” in keeping them connected to their schools, teachers and friends.
“It is vital that children keep in contact with their school and friends when they have been moved into temporary accommodation,” Mr Stringer said. “A free bus pass would be an enormous help in ensuring that these vital contacts are maintained.”
Why is this important?
Families who lose their homes are often placed in temporary housing miles away from where they normally live. Children who once walked to school can suddenly face long and costly bus journeys, or be forced to move schools altogether if places are available closer by.
At the moment, council rules only provide free transport if a child lives more than two miles from their school and there is no ‘suitable school’ nearer. But in a city as dense as Manchester, it’s rare to live more than three miles from any school, making it almost impossible for homeless families to qualify for support.
That leaves parents with a stark choice: find money for bus fares they never needed before, or uproot their children from the school communities that provide them with stability and friendships at a time of upheaval.
MPs rallying together
Stringer is now the seventh Greater Manchester MP to back the campaign. That means just over a quarter of the region’s 27 MPs are already behind the idea.
Other supporters include Rebecca Long-Bailey (Salford), Christian Wakeford (Bury South), Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South and Walkden), and Afzal Khan (Manchester Rusholme). Two Liberal Democrat MPs: Lisa Smart (Hazel Grove) and Tom Morrison (Cheadle), have also joined the call.
What the Mayor’s office says
A spokesperson for the mayor has previously pointed out that work is already under way to make public transport cheaper and easier for young people. That includes £1 bus fares, free travel for 16–18 year olds, extended free travel for care leavers, and, from next month, half-price bus fares for 18–21 year olds.
Transport for Greater Manchester is also carrying out a broader review of concessions, with this proposal now under consideration.
How you can help
The campaign is gaining momentum, but support from the public will be crucial in pushing it forward.
You can back the call by signing the petition here
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