Falkirk Council to look at bus pass provision for separated families

At the moment, pupils can only get a bus pass from one location to school, the independent councillor James Kerr pointed out to the Education, Children and Young People executive.

He said it was time Falkirk Council recognised that these days family living arrangements are often not straightforward.

Councillor Kerr said: “Society has changed and there are many one-parent families and many who are separated but are still a family.”

He said he had been contacted by one dad who has to spend £30 on bus fares every month when his children stay with him.

Councillors asked for more detail on how many families this would affect – but they were told this might be difficult to find out.

Children’s Services boss Robert Naylor said: “There will be other families in that situation but not only do we not have the data – I don’t see how we can come by it.”

Mr Naylor said he was reluctant for the department to use discretion in this situation as it was better to have clear policies that did not change.

But he promised to look at ways to resolve the problem as councillors agreed that it was important to recognise that there have been many changes to the traditional family in Scotland.