PLANS to improve safety on school buses in York - by making seatbelts and CCTV compulsory - are set to be given the green light.

City of York Council's executive will meet on Tuesday to consider a four-point plan of improvements for home to school transport, compiled by councillors.

The council's education scrutiny committee is proposing the council ensures that minimum standards for all future home to school transport buses include:

  • Lap seatbelts to be fitted to all vehicles, with the long-term aim of these being three point seatbelts
  • CCTV to be installed in all vehicles and functioning at all times
  • Contractors to ensure that all drivers have had a criminal record check within the last three years
  • Emissi-ons to be brought in line with European guidelines or greater.

But the CCTV plan, first revealed in The Press last month, has already sparked controversy - with Green councillor Mark Hill saying the "surveillance society" had got "out of hand".

Council officers maintain CCTV cameras could help cut down on vandalism and loutish behaviour.

Labour councillor David Scott - the city's Young People's Champion - is lobbying the council to ensure proper seatbelts are installed in school bus.

He said: "This is the last opportunity the Liberal Democrats have to protect school children. Unless new policy is decided now, this unsafe situation will go on and on.

"I will be speaking at the meeting of the executive because children's safety is such an important issue and should always be paramount."

Coun Scott said currently between 10,000 and 11,000 passengers are injured inside buses each year and around 2,500 children are injured inside buses and coaches each year as a direct result of not wearing seat belts.

Around 20 per cent of the injuries to children are permanent, which means they will not be able to live a normal life.

Local education authorities must provide free transport for children of primary school age who live more than two miles from their nearest suitable school.

Coun Scott said: "At present, seatbelts are not a requirement and they really should be.

"When we consider these statistics, it shows how important it is that proper safe seatbelts are supplied for all transport used by York school children.

"What price can you put on a child's life?

"The council should ensure that vehicles are safe to reassure the concerns of any parent."