An Oxenhope Parish Council decision to help parents in the village pay for transporting their children to North Halifax Grammar School came under fire.

Two Oxenhope residents voiced their objection to the council’s £500 donation, which was awarded last November.

However, two other people praised the council, arguing it had made a fair-minded gesture to parents exercising their right to choose their children’s education.

They spoke at one of the busiest meetings of the council in many months.

About 25 members of the public and invited guests were present at the meeting, a much higher number than normal.

They braved icy conditions to attend, with cars and pedestrians alike struggling with treacherous conditions in the community centre’s car park and entrance drive.

The £500 grant for parents of children at North Halifax Grammar was made in response to complaints about excessive transport costs.

It was in addition to a £300 contribution from Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury Parish Council.

Oxenhope Parish Council chairman Councillor Neal Cameron had not voted on the motion after he declared a prejudicial interest.

At last Thursday’s meeting, Caroline Chapman, of Oak Street, said she disagreed with the grant.

She said it was not fair on taxpayers in the parish who send their children to Skipton Girls, Ermysted’s and South Craven schools without receiving such assistance.

She said parents of pupils at North Halifax Grammar could try alternatives such as car pooling or moving nearer to the school of their choice. She added while she did sympathise with their situation, using council money to help them looked like favouritism towards a particular group of parents.

Another villager, Jeff Normington, said he also objected to the donation.

“I think it is a bad idea and a lot of other people in the village think the same,” he said.

The pair were answered by Lorraine Bolam, who noted that while she had not personally asked for this money, she was grateful to the council.

She said she and other parents faced a difficult public transport problem, caused by the boundary between Bradford and Calderdale districts.

She said the two transport authorities would not work together to fully subsidise what should only be an 11-minute journey.

She pointed out that despite the parish council’s help, she and other parents must still contribute a lot of money to pay for the school bus. She was backed by fellow Oxenhope resident Andrew Allan, who said the £500 was only a small contribution, meant for parents with two or more children at the school.

Parish councillors assured the meeting the money was a one-off donation and explained they were open to similar applications for help from parents of children at other schools.

Cllr David Ashcroft said he and his colleagues had discussed the matter at length before making their decision and had never aimed to endorse one particular school ahead of any other.

“We are not in the business of managing school transport,” he said.