A couple whose teenage daughter needs specialist educational support because of Down’s Syndrome and autism are fighting council plans to introduce a £1,200-a-year school transport fee.
Carl and Ruth Rogers, from Crossland Terrace, Helsby, put in every hour to give their beloved Rhiannon the best chance in life, including sending her to Dee Banks Special School in Chester as recommended by Cheshire West and Chester Council professionals.
Now the Tory council is consulting over plans to abolish free school transport for various groups, including school children aged 16-19 with complex special needs like Rhiannon, who currently travels by mini-bus along with other pupils.
But the Rogers, who also have sons Neil, 28, and David, 26, feel the proposed charge is unfair because parents of children with special needs don’t have the choice of sending their child to a local state school.
Carl, 52, said: “Special schools, unlike other schools, don’t draw children from a particular town or part of town. They come from across the area. And the financial capabilities of parents will vary. Some would be able to afford the charge while for others it could cause considerable hardship.”
Ruth, 52, explained that looking after a child with special needs was rewarding but also challenging and believes a civilised society should help support the vulnerable and their carers.
“I am asking the council to be reasonable with a very vulnerable and tiny minority of the community,” said Ruth, whose daughter can’t speak and communicates through picture cards.
“Rhiannon loves Dee Banks. She likes doing things and they are a hands-on school that works extremely hard.”
The proposed charge comes after a respite centre at Ellesmere Port recently closed where Rhiannon could spend two nights a months to give mum and dad a break. Now she must travel to an alternative centre in Winsford.
Dad Carl attended a drop-in session at Ellesmere Port this week which the council says is intended to inform residents about the proposals and gain feedback but he believes the decision has already been taken.
He commented: “I did get the feeling they had an attitude that this ‘just money’. That the support was available, we just had to pay for it now.
“Life is tough in ‘disability land’– apart from the day to day caring for someone like Rhiannon, there is all the emotional turmoil and despair that every parent with a disabled child has gone through so far.
“There is also the ever-present fear and sense of hopelessness for what the future holds in every aspect of life.”
