To be fucking pissed off with the Council

[CuriousMama]

We got a letter from the council a couple of weeks back saying ds1's bus pass was being covered by the school. Ds1 and now ds2 go to a Catholic Comp and only Catholic children or dcs on school meals get free bus passes. So understandably dp and I were over the moon as this means £95 a term is in the pot. We haven't heard if ds2 even has a pass yet?

But oh no, I opened a letter today saying someone's made an error and we have to pay for it.

Dp will be stotting when he gets out of bed. He's permanent night shift. I'm currently job hunting constantly and feel like writing back to the fucking council and saying I'll have the job of the incompetent twat.

If I moved out, got a council house and went on jobseekers we'd be much better off financially. Not that I will but I know people who do this.

And breath.

I doubt they are, and it will be part of the error.

Very few Councils will give more than the statutory minimum in terms of paid travel to school, and those who choose a more distant school (whether for faith or any other reason) can miss out.

This is a real bugger in rural areas where there are two schools in towns in opposite directions from a village, and the council cuts the entitlement to one even though the difference in distances involved is titchy and schools are similar.

I don't think anyone should be at bus pass for school if they have chosen themselves to send a child to a school faraway from their home. Transport should only be paid for if the council cannot provide a local school place. As for saying you think you would be better off on job seekers and a council house what a ridiculous thing to say

Of course we'd be better off financially if I lived alone with dss. I wouldn't be better off emotionally though. That isn't a choice but plenty do it. We'd have Dp's full time wage plus my benefits, free school meals etc. until I find employment.

Anyway got some more good news today. I rang tax credits to query why my payments gone up (CTC) and it's all above board? It's gone up by more than £20 a month. I half expected them to say this was yet another error. Not that they're linked with the council but it's been such a yoyo of a day it was expected. So I'm going to stop complaining now as this will help fund ds1's travel.

so you expect a free bus pass because you chose a school further away than your local one, just because you didn't like the local one?

we spent the last 87 years paying for our son to go to a school outside the catchment area - that was our choice because it was better for him.

personally i think you have a cheek. it cost us £50 a month

We have to send our DC to a secondary school at least 6 miles away as that is the closest. The council closed the 3 other schools to 'improve' things. They now want to knock it down and build another 2 miles further away.

Meant to add, I grew up here and it cost £11 a week to travel to the closest school and that was a long time ago.