Former The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr slams Trafford Council for cutting disabled children's transport

Former The Smiths' guitarist Johnny Marr has spoken out against Trafford Council for cutting disabled children's transport.

He was talking at a protest outside Trafford Town Hall where families were campaigning for the council to take their learning disabled children to school.

Mr Marr, whose niece Jodie has been affected by the cuts, said:

In September, Trafford Council withdrew transport funding for 11 children with special education needs - saving them £75,000 a year.

A change in policy meant they no longer had to pay for the travel of children over 16.

Now, the Conservative Councils are considering whether to cancel their funding for all of the buses that carry over 16s with disabilities.

The plan would see transport for adults and children with special needs correlated with routes re-planned and more ‘independent’ travel introduced.

If the policy is put in place, all those over 16 - disabled, educated in Trafford, or elsewhere - will see their transport axed. Council chiefs don’t have a statutory obligation to transport those over 16 to school.

Since the draft budget in November, the Tories have decided to put £70,000 back into the Home to School transport budget to allow them to consider their response to the consultation.