CALLS have been made for the county’s education chief to resign over plans to shake up free home-to-school transport.

The Oxfordshire School Bus Action Group (OSBAG) has called for cabinet member for education Melinda Tilley to stand down.

It comes after hundreds of people rejected plans to withdraw free transport from parents who don’t choose to send their children to their nearest school.

The council aims to save £340,000 a year by changing its policy. At the moment, parents get free transport to their catchment school, which isn’t always their closest option.

Campaigners, who say the proposed policy will affect poorer parents in rural areas, were angry that Councillor Tilley did not attend a crunch meeting in Kennington on Monday night about the plans.

However, Mrs Tilley had not indicated that she would attend. She told the Oxford Mail she could not go due to other commitments.

She said: “I had six meetings culminating in a parish council which I had promised I would go to. It was too short notice and there was nothing I could move.”

Campaigners have also criticised the consultation on the plans, claiming it is unclear, and have said Mrs Tilley’s admission that the policy should be reviewed had undermined the process.

OSBAG spokesman Perran Moon said: “Mrs Tilley brought horribly-worded and poorly thought-out proposals in front of her cabinet colleagues and they mistakenly agreed that they should go out for public consultation.

“Her ill-advised comments to media and to members of the public have completely undermined the consultation process and we feel that, unless the proposals are permanently withdrawn, there is no option but for her to go.”

More than 600 people had last night signed a petition against the plans, and more than 1,700 people have responded to the consultation.

At the meeting in Kennington on Monday, chairman Sylvia Vetta said: “It’s worth noting that the only county councillor here is our local councillor Bob Johnston.”

Parents in the village claim the policy will destroy their strong links with the Matthew Arnold school, which is judged to be their sixth nearest school.

Under the plans, parents would only get free transport to their nearest school, which is Oxford Academy.

Mum Lisa Scott-Russell said her two eldest children would be able to go to Matthew Arnold under the current policy, but she may be forced to send her youngest child to a different school when the rules change.

She said: “This will put me in a very difficult position in deciding whether I’m going to have my children going in different directions. This policy will split up families.”

The consultation on the plans has been extended until July 15 and anyone can take part online at oxfordshire.gov.uk The cabinet is expected to make a decision on July 16.