Concerned parents are closing in on victory in their battle for safer school transport – thanks to the Northern Echo.

In October, the paper highlighted the lack of seatbelts on school buses in the North East.

Hundreds of readers signed coupons printed in the paper and many others wrote to their local education authority asking for seatbelts to become standard on school transport.

The campaign was backed by Low Worsall Parish Council which is responsible for around thirty children who travel from the area to nearby Great Smeaton School in North Allerton.

Now North Yorkshire County Council’s passenger transport officer, Richard Owens, has revealed that he was talking with the existing operator about providing seatbelts on buses to Great Smeaton this term.

He explained: “The aim is to get a vehicle with seatbelts on the route within the budget we have got, and it is looking promising.”

And Mr Owens said the council hoped to provide seatbelts on all school services within the next two years, when exisiting contracts had been negotiated.

Cheryl Whitehead, chairman of Great Smeaton School’s PTA, said: “We got lots of signatures and the extra impetus of having a newspaper drawing attention to it has helped.

“Although the council doesn’t have a legal obligation, it certainly has a moral one.”

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