A U-TURN was taken last night over the outsourcing of special needs transport, after union representatives forced the Harrow Council to think again.

In April, the council’s then-Labour administration passed a plan to outsource the entire service, in a bid to make £540,000 savings.

However, officers have created a revised plan – approved at a council cabinet meeting last night – that lessens the number of routes to be outsourced.

Harrow Unison assistant branch secretary Darren Butterfield, said: "The council had to go back and consult with staff and users of the service and I think that the bottom-up approach is always the best way to do things.

"We have worked hard on this and the council have been open with us and we feel it allows the council to deliver those savings."

Currently, 80 per cent of transport to schools for young people is provided by the council, with the remaining 20 per cent being run by contractors. The decision to outsource entirely was subject to a call-in by Harrow Unison, which successfully argued that staff and service users had not been consulted.

If approved, the most expensive routes would be outsourced, but others would be kept in-house.

Members of Harrow Unison were not the only ones to voice their dissatisfaction with not being consulted.

Kevin White, of Harrow View, Harrow, whose six-year-old son uses the service, told the Observer after the call-in that not consulting the relevant stakeholders was ‘tantamount to treating disabled children like parcels’.

"I am very pleased with the current service and would want to be given the opportunity to oppose any proposal that seeks to replace it with a parcel delivery service," he said.

Angela Dias, of Harrow Association for Disabled People, commented: "Transport is one of the most important services for disabled people and the transport which has been in place from the council has been mixed in terms of the quality it offers.

"I believe that there are more effective and efficient solutions available in the voluntary sector in Harrow and I feel that this is an area where it is possible for savings to be made if the right external source is chosen."

Council Leader Thaya Idaikkadar said: "These plans will allow us to ensure the most vulnerable children get the support they need. It will allow us to maintain the same level of services and make vital savings."