COMPLAINTS continue to be lodged with a council after a decision to change bus services in the county.

The Leader has previously reported that parents across Connah’s Quay were left furious over how they would get their children to Mold Alun safely.

A petition was launched in a bid to overturn the decision to charge some parents £450 a year to send their children to school.

The local authority currently sells spare seats on school buses for pupils who do not qualify for free transport.

In a letter of complaint to Colin Everett, Linda Bailey said she is just one of the many affected who will be paying an ‘inflated’ £150 per term instead of public transport prices from September.

Her child, who is going into year 8 of Mold Alun, paid £7 a week for transport in the previous year and they are not requesting free transport.

In the letter she wrote: “There was no mention of the current transport situation when my daughter applied, no representative of the FCC at any evening I have attended at Mold Alun which you keep saying in your press.

“At no point has there been any public communication from Flintshire Council and if you bothered to listen to parents, they would just like a public bus to put their children on which they are quite happy to pay for.

“I understand FCC subsidise the 109 bus, you are saying in real terms it costs £750 per child per year, times by 70 pupils totals £52,500. This is an incredible amount of money and surely a profitable route for ARRIVA?

“My daughter also informs me that members of the public got on the bus last year.”

Ms Bailey goes on to say that public transport provides a lifeline for some residents.

She added: “Community Transport is of particular value to people who, for a variety of reasons do not have access to a car or public transport.

“It also provides a lifeline in both rural and urban areas, catering for a variety of needs and situations.

“My child will need to walk on a route with no pavement, high speed traffic to get to Northop to catch a bus. These roads are also isolated in places let alone on a dark or cold evening.

“I have asked for a risk assessment to be done on this route, I tried to do it online but the form would not submit due to your technical set up, again I have rang FCC today to enquire why this is so they are looking in to it, another department the Highways this time I think.

“Mr Everett people are absolutely incensed at the way they have been abandoned and miss informed and this issue will not be going way.”

Following a review of bus services in the county, it is expected around 350 pupils will pay the new rate.

The move came despite protestations that it was unfair on families, who have already faced a hike from the £165 a year which was previously charged.

Natalie Matthews also complained to the council and she said this change came out of the blue.

She said if she had been aware of these changes before her daughter applied, she would not have applied for Mold Alun.

Concerns were also raised over the lack of spaces in Connah’s Quay High School.

Ms Matthews wrote: “We are in the middle of a climate emergency. It is all over the media that that we all have to try to do everything in our power to reduce our carbon footprint, but the council are happy for 350 + parents to have to drive their children to school twice a day? That beggars belief!

“The children in the Connah's Quay area going to Mold Alun are simply unable to take bicycles or walk to school as they would have to travel along 60 mph roads with large areas that don’t have any pavements.”

Steve Jones, chief officer Streetscene and transportation, previously told the Leader that the authority provides free transport for pupils under its current policy and to do this, vehicles are procured specifically for school transport.

Spare seats on routes can be sold as concessionary spare seats but they cannot be guaranteed and parents choosing to send their children to schools other than their nearest, are responsible for transporting their children to and from school.