HARD-hit families of teenagers with learning disabilities will face bills of up to £500 a year if plans to make them pay towards the cost of travel to special school or college are pushed through by cash-strapped Dudley Council.

The proposal has shocked single mum Yvette Mitchell, whose autistic daughter Ellen attends Amblecote’s Glasshouse College.

Miss Mitchell, from Halesowen, said she knew nothing about the council’s cost-cutting plan until she found a statement on a website and she has slammed the authority for failing to inform parents about a consultation period which started on May 9 and runs until July 21.

She said: “How can families object if we are not told about it?”

The council is proposing post-16 special needs students who need a taxi or specialist vehicle to attend a course should pay the first £500 of the costs of the transport, or £300 if they qualify on the grounds of low income.

Currently, Miss Mitchell drives her 17-year-old daughter to the Wollaston Road college each day and the teenager is brought home in a taxi.

She is reimbursed 14p a mile for the outward journey, but under the new proposals her petrol claim would be axed and she would have to pay £500 a year for the taxi service.

The 47-year-old mum said: “They say they are trying to encourage these vulnerable young people to be independent or to take public transport, but they can’t cope in social settings and are already stigmatised - they use taxis because they are safe.

“Such families don’t tend to earn high incomes, because they have to spend so much time caring for their children, yet they do work and so often earn too much to claim benefits, but are still on low incomes.”

Dudley’s cabinet member for children’s services - councillor Liz walker - said an estimated average cost for an academic year for routes to Glasshouse College is £12,000 per vehicle, meaning the service will still be heavily subsidised.

Miss Mitchell said: “They could just about buy their own taxi with that amount of money, or leave it to the parents - we could do it cheaper.

“I know there have to be cuts - but it’s families like us that always seem to get hit the most. Our lives aren’t rosy at the best of times and then we have to fight for everything.”

Cllr Walker described the proposals as “fair and reasonable” and said the consultation had been published in a newspaper and sent to schools, colleges and around 100 organisations.

She added: “We are happy to speak directly with anyone with queries around the proposed changes to discuss their individual circumstances while the consultation is running and there is an appeals process following the consultation.”

Cllr Walker said there was no statutory duty on the council to provide transport but the council wanted to ensure assess to transport was not a barrier to young people going into further education.

The council has set up a new 16 to 19 bursary scheme to help the most vulnerable young people continue in full time education by offering them up to £1,200 a year.