North East Bikers Bare All For Charity
The North East Lady Bikers are stripping off for Northumbria Bloodbikes
North East Football Stadiums Succeed In Disabled Access
The Stadium of Light and St James' Park are in the top 10 Premier League club Stadiums for disabled access
Durham County Council Decide Fate Of School Transport
6:03am 14th September 2015
Later this week Councillors will decide whether to change the free school transport system in County Durham
Durham County Council is proposing to remove the automatic entitlement to free home -school transport
This is currently provided at the council's discretion
The council currently continues to provide free transport to some students beyond what is legally required.
At the moment it provides transport for year 10 and 11 kids who move house in the middle of exam years,
Post sixteen students who live in areas without public transport or post sixteen students who can't travel independently for medical reasons
The new proposals include plans to set up a Hardship fund to cover these needs
This would end under the proposals being considered - a move which would be expected to save approximately £740,000 by 2019.
Cllr Ossie Johnson, Cabinet member for children and young people's services at Durham County Council, said:
"Any changes to home to school transport arrangements will inevitably have an impact on students and their families.
"We also recognise that there will be exceptional cases where we may still need to provide free transport on a discretionary basis so these proposals would still allow for this to happen.
"We want to seek the views of those who would be affected by the proposals before any final decision is made."
The Cabinet will discuss the proposals on Wednesday with the potential to instigate the changes next September
Dog Attacks Darlington Schoolchildren
Local News: TWO four-year-old girls and a man have been attacked by a dog outside a school.
Local Programme to Help Prevent Diabetes
Local News: Hambleton District Council are working on a joint initiative to combat diabetes and other health conditions.
Study Reveals Fall In Pregnant Smokers
Local News: Less women in our region are smoking while they are pregnant, according to Government figures.
Lidl Minimum Wage Hike To Cost Firm £9m
National News: Lidl says it will become the first supermarket to bring in the minimum wage recommended by the Living Wage Foundation.
Hamilton Close To Matching Senna Win Tally
National Sport: Lewis Hamilton feels like he will be "carrying the baton for both of us" in future once he equals his hero Ayrton Senna's tally of F1 victories.
Struggling NME To Be Given Away Free
Showbiz News: The NME will be distributed for free from today in what the editor says is an essential move that will strengthen its brand.
Croatia Shuts Borders To Battle Refugee Surge
World News: Croatia has closed seven of the eight road border crossings it shares with Serbia as police struggle to cope with the huge influx of migrants and refugees.
