The chief executive of Hertfordshire Council has defended cuts on free transport for children to faith schools, saying that they should not be regarded as an attack on faith.

|TOP|Mr Lloyd told the Universe that the proposals to scrap free transport to faith schools were rather a matter of cost and fairness.

A consultation on the issue rounded up no less than 17,000 responses, including a large majority which opposed any changes to the current provisions.

There were also a considerable number of supporters for the council’s proposals to drop the free transport, around 2,500.

Mr Lloyd denied, however, that Hertfordshire Council was jumping on the bandwagon set in motion by the more than 16 councils throughout England and Wales which are considering or have already implemented similar cuts in faith school transport.

Rather Lloyd suggested that the council had been cornered into making the cuts due by government reductions in funding southern-based councils which had forced many county councils to operate within the confines of a reduced spending budget.

|AD|“The council faces a huge squeeze on spending during the coming years as settlements in the south in particular have been poor. We have to look at every option because things are so tight,” said Mr Lloyd.

“It is not an issue of faith schools. The council has a good record working with faith schools in the area. But in the circumstances is it fair that £3.4 million of the council’s discretionary budget should be spent on 2 percent of children.

“It is a question of equity to treat everyone the same. And there will be hardship measures available so that people cannot say that only rich families can afford to send their children to faith schools.”

An initial decision will be made at a full council meeting on 18 July before the cabinet makes a final decision on 24 July.

Mr Lloyd remarked that it was “inconceivable that the cabinet would take a different line to the council decision”.

“Whatever is decided on July 18, the cabinet will go along with.”