South Lanarkshire Council has now issued its Stage 2 complaint response regarding the withdrawal of school transport for Sandford pupils walking to Strathaven Academy.

📄 Unfortunately, the response from Interim Head of Education David Hinshelwood confirms that the Council considers the matter concluded — despite months of detailed evidence, community engagement, and repeated requests for a realistic reassessment of the route.

Key points from the Council’s reply:

- Lighting, barriers, and severe weather are not taken into account in their “safety” assessment.

- They have refused to carry out a winter walk-through of the route.

- The Council insists the route is “safe”, even though the same local authority reinstated transport for pupils in Blackwood to Lesmahagow over comparable issues such as lack of lighting and fast-moving traffic.

📣 Our next steps

- A formal complaint has now been submitted to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO).

- The case remains under review by the Scottish Information Commissioner following the Council’s refusal to release full route-assessment data.

- The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland has also been informed.

- Major Scottish media outlets have been contacted to highlight this ongoing failure of transparency and duty of care.

This community will continue to press for accountability, fairness, and real-world safety standards — not decisions based on paperwork and cost-cutting.

💬 Your voices matter: every comment, signature, and shared story strengthens our position.
Please continue to sign and share the petition and invite others to support the campaign.

🔗 Petition: https://www.change.org/SandfordSafety
📘 Facebook: Sandford Safety Page

#SandfordSafety #SchoolTransport #SouthLanarkshireCouncil #ChildSafety #Accountability #UNCRC #Transparency #Equality