Walking route turmoil has impact on Home-to-School Transport.

Liberal Democrats on Leicestershire County Council Have reacted to the Local Government Ombudsman report highlighting the errors made by the Council in assessing walking routes to schools.

Liberal Democrats believe that the Ombudsman's findings raise some key questions about:

1. Whether the recommended compensation will actually be paid to the families that have complained?

2. Whether compensation will offered to other families affected by the cuts?

3. Will the Council reinstate any of the bus services?

4. What this means for the wider Home to School transport Policy?

Simon Galton said: "Basically the Ombudsman's report shows that the Council made a huge mistake, it simply jumped too quickly to remove this and other school bus routes and the outcome can be laid firmly at the door of the Conservative Administration who made budget savings their most important consideration.

At the same time the residents in Markfield found to their cost that their local County Councillor David Sprason - who voted overwhelmingly for the cuts- was unable or unwilling to help them. And today on the radio there was no sort of apology or acceptance of wrongdoing by the Cabinet Lead Lesley Pendleton.

This sorry saga raises serious concerns about the cut-first-worry-later attitude of the Conservative controlled Council, especially if they decided to make any other changes to Home-to-School transport."