‘Voices have been heard’ says councillor as Tees Valley Combined Authority agrees to fund free bus travel for care leavers

The Tees Valley Combined Authority agreed the plans last week at a cabinet meeting after representations were made over recent months by council chiefs, including directors of children’s services across the area.

The organisation has not said how much the move is likely to cost, but it will be met from allocations from a bus service improvement programme (BSIP) and, separately, an intra-city transport fund available to the authority.

It will be introduced alongside an extension of the current £1 bus travel scheme for those aged 21, which, currently, is due to end in the summer.

Councillor Karen King, who chairs the children and families scrutiny committee at Redcar and Cleveland Council and also its corporate parenting board, said: “Care experienced young people often face significant challenges, particularly as many must navigate independent living at a much earlier age than their peers.

“Priorities such as paying rent and bills frequently leave little or no disposable income, increasing the risk of social isolation.

“Providing care leavers with free travel up to the age of 25 will greatly reduce these barriers, enabling easier access to education, job interviews, employment opportunities, and leisure activities.

“Importantly, this initiative addresses something young people themselves have been requesting for years, and I’m pleased their voices have finally been heard.”

Redcar and Cleveland has the second highest rate of looked after children per 10,000 youngsters in the North-East.

Once teens reach adulthood and are able to leave care they continue to be supported with advice and guidance in order to help them achieve full independence.

About 142 care leavers are currently in this category in the borough.

In 2022 Redcar and Cleveland Council members agreed that the council should treat experience of being in care as a ‘protected characteristic’ until such time as it may be introduced by legislation.

This meant future council decisions, services and policies made and adopted being assessed through equality impact assessments to determine the impact of changes on people with experience of being in care.

The TVCA said work would begin as soon as possible on the new initiative.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Access to affordable transport plays a vitally important role in achieving this and this new programme will help to tackle some of the financial and social challenges we know care leavers can often face as they move into adulthood.

“We have already seen how our £1 fare cap is bringing fantastic benefits for our young people.

“The proposed extension of this programme alongside the plan for free travel for care leavers is further evidence of how we are delivering a comprehensive package of support to help our young people stay local and go far.”

A TVCA spokesman added: “We’re still working through the figures and the detail with local authority partners to understand the number of care leavers in our region, which will, in turn, inform the cost.

The cost will be met by the BSIP and other combined authority funding.”