Parents slam South Lanarkshire Council response to concerns over winter school walk

Parents have claimed to have received a “copy-and-paste” response from South Lanarkshire Council regarding safety concerns about their children’s walking route to school during the winter months.

Campaigners in Sandford say a response to concerns repeats previous explanations almost word-for-word and fails to address the risks faced by pupils using the route to Strathaven Academy, which has previously been described as a “dangerous country road”.

South Lanarkshire Council announced in 2024 that transportation to mainstream secondary schools was to move to the statutory arrangements used by most local authorities.

The latest council correspondence, sent to MSP Brian Whittle, states that the Walking Route to School Assessment Guidelines may be discussed at a future meeting of Road Safety West of Scotland.

At the centre of the dispute is the council’s definition of “normal conditions” used in school walking route assessments.

Parents say the criteria explicitly exclude winter darkness, ice, untreated footways and street lighting, conditions which they argue children regularly face during the school year.

It comes after 440 schools were closed on Wednesday across a number of councils due to severe snow and icy weather, amounting to 18% of the entire school estate.

The council response stated that when routes become hazardous, it is the responsibility of parents to determine appropriate action.

Campaign organiser Richard Duthie said the repeated responses avoided the central issue.

“This is the same regurgitated response we’ve seen repeatedly”, he said. “It avoids the central issue entirely.

“If a route is deemed acceptable for children to walk, but the council accepts it will not be safe in darkness, ice or winter conditions, then the assessment framework is fundamentally broken.

“Winter conditions in Scotland are not exceptional. Darkness, ice and untreated footways are predictable and routine. Assessing routes as if these factors don’t exist is not realism, it’s denial.”

Campaigners argue the council’s position places families without access to private transport or flexible working arrangements at a disadvantage, effectively leaving them with no safe alternative.

They also stress that their concerns are not about demanding universal gritting of footpaths, but about ensuring walking route assessments accurately reflect real-world conditions and risks.

They are now calling for winter and lighting conditions to be formally included in walking route assessments.

Mr Whittle confirmed he is dissatisfied with the council’s response and is exploring further options to challenge the current approach.

“This issue will not go away. Repeating the same lines does not make them true, and it certainly does not make children safer”, he said.

South Lanarkshire Council has been contacted for comment.