THE Catholic Church in Scotland is warning thousands of hard-up families could face crippling school travel costs if a council confirms moves to change the method which triggers free bus entitlement.

Plans by North Lanarkshire Council to alter the minimum distance pupils travel before being entitled to free bus travel is expected to land thousands of parents with a monthly bill of £34 for each child affected, rising to £64 per child if they are over 16 years old. 

The authority claims the move, which would affect over 4500 pupils, would save £2.4m per year. 

However it’s being claimed it would have a disproportionate impact on disadvantaged families with children attending Catholic schools, as they often travel from a wider area. 

Now the local diocese is calling for parents to raise their concerns with the council, one of Scotland’s largest authorities, in a bid to halt the move. 

At the moment, North Lanarkshire pupils are entitled to free school transport if they live more than two miles from their secondary school. Under the plans, that would increase to more than three miles. 

The Catholic Church’s Motherwell Diocese has described the proposals as “strangely out of step” with current thinking surrounding education and moves to enhance attainment of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

A spokesman for North Lanarkshire Council said: “No decision has been reached. North Lanarkshire Council is facing difficult budget challenges. Since 2007 the council’s budget has been cut by more than £170million, with a further £26m reduction expected from government in the new financial year.”

Cllr Frank McNally, Convener of Education said: “North Lanarkshire is one of the only a few local authorities that provide as generous a distance in relation to transport and with the scale of the cuts expected, it is important that this is explored.”