A STEETON mum claims her application for school travel costs funding support was rejected because council officers insist she is earning more than she actually does.

Michaela Whitton, a single mother with three children living in Styveton Way, says the council has assessed her earnings based on her provisional tax credit award, even though this award was made in arrears and did not take into account her changed circumstances.

She says she gave up a par-time cleaning job paying £8 an hour to begin a part-time care assistant job paying £6.60 an hour because she needed work flexible enough to fit round a university course she has started.

"They don't seem to take into account the fact that people's circumstances change," she said. "It's so frustrating. I'm being unfairly penalised."

She added that her 13-year-old daughter, Georgia, attends South Craven School, in Cross Hills. "I just want her to be able to get to and from school on the bus safely," she said.

"At the moment her travel expenses are costing me £34 a month. I first applied for funding support for her on August 26, but it wasn't till October 28 that I got a letter apologising for not responding sooner because they had an "unprecedented workload" and a backlog of applications.

"I was told over the phone that I'd been turned down, which was quite upsetting."

Mrs Whitton, who is a full-time student at Bradford University, said: "I've supplied the council with wage slips and a P45 to show them what I really earn, but they're not budging. I don't know where to turn.

"I'm on my own with three children and I'm trying to better myself by going to university. I started a three-year social work degree in September, and I had to take a lower paid job to fit round my university hours.

"I know there are people who try to cheat the system, but when you've always done things right and you get penalised anyway it's mortifying."

She also questioned the council's assessment of the distance between her home and South Craven School.

"We're 3.1 miles away from the school," she said. "The council is saying the distance is less, but they're basing it on Georgia taking short cuts.

"I wouldn't want her to be taking these short cuts, especially as it's now getting dark, because I want her to be safe. If she's walking I want her to be on the main roads."

Cindy Peek, Bradford Council’s deputy director for children’s services, responded that Mrs Whitton's application was refused after being carefully considered against the council’s policies.

She said: “The policy reflects the need to take into consideration walking routes to school, and not the route one would travel in a car. Walking routes are generally safer than expecting children to walk to school along busy traffic routes.

"It would not be appropriate for us to comment in detail on individual cases, but we can confirm Mrs Whitton's application was then reviewed under the agreed criteria and all factors of her case were reconsidered. We concluded that the original decision was correct.”