Campaigning parents have insisted the fight will continue over mileage limits for North Lanarkshire schools despite a council U-turn on primary school routes.

Earlier this week, the council confirmed that primary school pupils in North Lanarkshire who benefit from school transport will continue to be eligible for the current mileage limits.

The council previously decided to change mileage limits for primary school children to the legal maximum.

This would have meant children living more than two miles from the school had to make their own arrangements, rather than those living more than a mile away.

The news delighted parents who have campaigned against the changes since the plans were revealed earlier this year.

Kerry-Anne Ferrie, whose son Sean would have been forced to walk more than a mile to Motherwell Cathedral Primary School if the plans had not been abandoned, said: “As a Primary School Campaign Team, we are delighted to hear that 1,400 children across North Lanarkshire primary schools have retained their dedicated transport and will be able to get to school safe and ready to learn.

“We must now focus on secondary school routes that clearly present safety challenges and support the task force to achieve this.

“We are also very concerned about the plight of children with additional support needs who attend mainstream secondary schools and who, despite advice from medical professionals that dedicated transport should be provided to them, have been refused.

“We will continue to urge the Scottish Government to review the existing allowable mileage for all children in Scotland and reduce it to more acceptable levels given the current environment.”

She added: “We were optimistic after the council created the task force, but you can never tell.

“I was discouraged at one point but we continued and I’m delighted with the decision.”

The hard work of Kerry-Anne and other parents was praised by Motherwell and Wishaw MP Clare Adamson.

She said: “It is thanks to the tireless campaigning efforts of parents, carers and students – led by the incredible Kerry-Anne Ferrie – that Labor saw sense and reversed course on this decision for primary school students.

“This turnaround will be a huge relief for affected families, but it wouldn’t have taken such a fight for Labor to prioritize child safety or listen to voters.

“It is crucial that the administration engages meaningfully with the people it represents rather than dismissing them outright.

“Questions remain about the situation of high school students and I will continue to champion this cause.”

*Don’t miss the latest headlines from Lanarkshire. Subscribe to our newsletters here.

And did you know Lanarkshire live had its own app? Download yours for free here.