The Conservative administration at Norfolk County Council needs to make cuts and savings to balance the books - and needs to bring down the £62m bill for school transport.

The council has a statutory duty to provide free travel to their nearest suitable school for eligible children aged five to 16, so has to pay for taxis, buses and minibuses.

Taxis are among vehicles used to take children to and from school(Image: Simon Finlay)

The bulk of that bill - more than £40m - is to get children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to schools best placed to cater for their needs, which can mean costly taxi rides far from their homes.

Norfolk has a higher proportion of children getting extra support for special educational needs than almost anywhere else in the country - so the cost pressures on County Hall are significant.

County Hall leaders have just unveiled £35.7m of cuts and savings........

© Norwich Evening News