Spiralling fuel costs are going to affect the "lifeline" of bus and taxi services provided for children in England who otherwise would be unable to get to their schools.
The County Councils Network (CCN), which speaks for all 23 of England's county councils and all 13 county unitary authorities, said there is “little wriggle room” in budgets that have already been agreed, meaning that vital services are going to be hit.
The network, whose authorities are mostly Conservative-led, said companies providing school transport were retendering contracts up to 20 per cent more expensive than last year, mainly because of the rising cost of petrol and diesel, while others were taking advantage of break clauses in their contracts because of the rapid changes at the pumps.
