The Bonnett family and Ella Curnow have asked us to publicise the following petition regarding, what they feel, is the inequitable situation whereby some children in the village are entitled to use the school bus whilst others are not.
‘Although Devon County Council provides a school bus from Belstone visitor car park to Okehampton College, not all children living in Belstone village are considered eligible to use the bus.
This is because Devon County Council has previously determined that some houses in the village are within a three-mile walking distance of the College because children could walk along Market Lane. We believe that this route is completely unsuitable for children to walk to and from school. It is unsafe, arduous and prone to becoming very muddy. It is particularly unsafe at this time of year when children would be walking in the dark.
The previous determination has created an unfair situation in which children living in the centre of Belstone must be driven to school by their parents, passing on their way a school bus that their close neighbours are entitled to catch. Devon County Council’s recent Climate Change Emergency declaration makes this situation even more indefensible due to the carbon impact of the unnecessary car journeys.
Please sign the petition to attest to the fact that the Market Lane route is not a safe route to expect children to walk from Belstone to Okehampton School.’
If you would like to support this petition it can be accessed here:
https://www.petitiononline.uk/belstone_school_transport_appeal?u=6321318&utm_source=whatsapp
If you have any questions please contact Ella.curnow@hotmail.co.uk.
Please do sign the petition before 31 December.
