Bucks Council has issued its response to the ongoing fuel crisis – including the issue of special ‘permits’ for school transport providers to show at petrol stations.

The council has written to local petrol stations asking them to give “priority access” to fuel for buses and taxis and others “providing this critical service”.

“We are working closely with our transport providers so we can run our school transport services and ensure children are able to get into and out of school,” a council spokesman said.

“We are getting regular updates as the situation changes so are asking parents to keep an eye on our website over the next couple of days, so if school transport is cancelled then they have time to make alternative arrangements for getting their child/children to school.

“We have devised and issued our own ‘permits’, in the form of letters, for school transport providers (buses, taxis etc.) to show at local petrol stations and we have written to those petrol stations to explain these are from the council – asking them to give priority access to fuel for those providing this critical service. This is not a legal or ‘official’ process – more one that relies on good will; the aim is that the bus and taxi drivers can show proof from the council that they’re delivering this service.

“We can report that currently other key council services are not suffering any major impacts as a result of this issue but we are aware that this could change at short notice and other services may be at risk of disruption as the week progresses and the situation continues.

“Our priority is to ensure that essential services within Buckinghamshire, delivered through the council and our partners, remain on the road to support the local community. The council’s leadership team is meeting daily with the fire service, police, health colleagues and business representatives and is constantly monitoring and assessing the situation to look at any actions to support our services and partners. This includes identifying critical car users within service areas for prioritisation, identifying service areas that may be more impacted than others by fuel shortages, planning accordingly and putting into action existing contingency plans for such situations if needed.

“We will provide regular updates and advise residents to look out for information on our social media channels as a means of getting the latest news.”