HEREFORDSHIRE Council will continue to provide bus transport to church schools.

But parents of new pupils attending those schools from September 2006 will be expected to pay around £100 a term, per child.

A reduced rate will be set for children from low income families and all parents will only have to pay for a maximum of two children per term.

The new policy was hammered out at a meeting of the council's cabinet yesterday (Thursday). Councillors agreed the existing service would continue to be free of charge to pupils already benefiting from the scheme and already attending Anglican or Roman Catholic schools in the county.

The majority of pupils, including many from the Ledbury area, attend the Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School in Hereford and St Mary's R.C. High, in Lugwardine.

Pupils who attend these schools on non-religious grounds do not get free bus transport and free transport is not provided for children who attend non-denominational schools in the county.

The council looked at its policy on transport to church schools following legal concerns that it could be discriminatory.

Ledbury representative Don Rule, also spokesman for children's services, said: "We have received hundreds of representations as part of our consultation process. Clearly this is an issue which the authority could not ignore. It is not a cost-cutting measure, but an attempt to be fair."