I am so pleased to hear
that Northumberland County Council has started the process to reintroduce free
transport for post-16 students, fulfilling a manifesto pledge to reverse the charges introduced by the previous Labour administration. The
Council has allocated £1.4 million in 2018-19 and £800,000 in 2019-20 to remove
the charge. The reintroduction requires a formal consultation which will run
for six weeks, finishing on Friday 30th March, and the updated
policy should be published by the end of May to ensure that there are no
charges for the start of the new academic year in September. This is really
positive news for students and it is great to see that the Council is committed to fulfilling its manifesto pledges. I am always keen to ensure
that our local schools get the best possible outcomes for their pupils, and
this week I was pleased to meet with the Head of Haydon Bridge High School,
Darren Glover, and Dr Caroline Pryer, Head of Ponteland Community Middle
School. I particularly enjoyed sitting in on a GCSE PE lesson at Haydon Bridge High School and seeing how enthusiastic the students were. My relationship with local schools is such an important part of my job
as MP, and I am always happy to meet with Head Teachers to discuss how we can
make our schools the best possible for students.
