UNPOPULAR plans to axe free transport to nurseries for children under five with special needs have been scrapped following a public outcry.

Nursery nurses cheered from the public gallery at Dudley Council House on Monday when the Labour-run council agreed a Tory amendment to save the service.

The cash-strapped local authority would have saved more than £100,000 a year by cutting the service which is not a statutory requirement.

But an 800-named petition and 179 letters of objection were sent to the council during a period of consultation over the proposed cuts.

Halesowen South Conservative councillor David Vickers, who tabled the amendment, said the plan had been unpopular with members across the political spectrum.

The council will now review all transport services for children and adults with learning disabilities, in a bid to find cheaper options and funding from other quarters.

Stourbridge Labour councillor Ian Marrey, whose disabled son Jude benefitted from the free transport service, welcomed the decision.

He said: "I want to commend those people and parents who campaigned so fiercely against this proposal. This amendment is a victory for these people and these children."

Marc Carter, chief executive of WeLoveCarers, praised the council for “listening to the views of parents and making the right decision”.

The charity, which supports thousands of unpaid carers across the borough, worked closely with parents to fight the proposed cut.

Mr Carter said after the meeting: “Most of the children who would have suffered from this cut don’t even know about it yet. Many haven’t been diagnosed and many haven’t yet been born.

“This is one tiny little thing to make the lives of families with disabled children a little easier. It isn’t a luxury - even if the law doesn’t think it’s a right, we do.

“The big thing we’ve learned from this entire process is that genuine consultation with all those involved is the only way forward to a fair process.

“We are very aware there are going to many more fights in the future and we hope that with good communication the best outcomes can be reached.”