A DUDLEY mum has hit out at the council for initially refusing to help her disabled son get to secondary school.

Shelly Davies was devastated when she received a letter from Dudley Council saying 11-year-old Tony would not be eligible for transport to the Sutton School.

Transport had not been an issue when he attended Woodsetton School, but as the family live less than two miles away from the school in Scotts Green Close, Tony no longer met the criteria.

Ms Davies, of Laurel Road, said she felt "at a dead end" as without the transport she would have had to get Tony and her seven-year-old Ryan to schools in different parts of the borough at the same time.

The distressed young mum, who doesn't drive, turned to Sedgley Councillor Bill Etheridge, who supported her through the appeal process.

But despite successfully appealing the decision, the transport is only guaranteed for 12 months, after that, the mum-of-two may have to plead her case again.

The letter from the council had suggested that Ms Davies considered independent travelling for Tony, but she said the youngster, who has epilepsy, learning difficulties and decreased muscle tone, could never travel alone.

She added: "I could tell him a million times and he would never remember the way.

"He is also very vulnerable, if someone approached him and told him I'd sent them, he'd go with them, he doesn't pick up on danger."

Ms Davies continued: “Parents of disabled children face obstacles like this every day - the council should be making things easier.

“If they refuse it again in 12 months, I will fight them again. His problems are never going to disappear.

"I am my son’s voice and I will always be a huge force to be reckoned with when it comes to him.”

She said she was "really glad" she'd got in touch with Cllr Etheridge and his team as they had been "really supportive".

Cllr Etheridge, who is also a West Midlands MEP, has questioned why children with special educational needs in the borough were still being refused transport to school, despite the "climb down by the ruling Labour group over plans to scrap the service" earlier this year.

He said: “Something needed to be done about this situation. The route of the school bus actually passed this family’s house.

“How could it be saving money when there is another child, attending the same school, who is picked up from the same spot?”

Councillor Ian Cooper, cabinet member for children’s services said: “Access to education is critical to the intellectual development of children and young people.

"We are committed to providing a high quality home-to-school/college travel support service that ensures children and young people arrive at school/college safe, on time and ready to learn."

He continued: “There is a set of criteria to help us ensure the right people get the service including distance from the school.

"Where transport is provided it is also annually reviewed, consideration is given to the possibility of walking, cycling or the use of public transport as a child develops and matures.”