Thousands of parents could be able to challenge holiday fines
Figures show huge level of £60 fines issued
THOUSANDS OF parents in Yorkshire should challenge fines for taking children on term-time holidays if they can prove the pupils attended school regularly, a campaigner behind a landmark legal case has claimed.
Jon Platt, whose court case attracted national attention after he successfully refused to pay a fine for taking his daughter to Florida, is now urging others to follow his example.
In the last three years, more than 40,00 fines have been issued by eight Yorkshire councils to parents for their children’s unauthorised absences, according to figures obtained by Mr Platt under the Freedom of Information Act.
Figures reveal that in some areas – including Kirklees, North Yorkshire, Sheffield and Doncaster – there has been a sharp drop in the number of fines since May, when the High Court upheld a magistrates’ decision that Mr Platt should not be prosecuted as his daughter had a satisfactory school attendance.
But the figures also show there has been a huge number of fines issued to Yorkshire parents since the Government tightened its guidelines in 2013. Parents have been hit with 42,147 fines from 2013/14 to 2015/16. In 2014/15, 16,784 fines were issued but 1,690 were withdrawn, while in 2015/16, councils issued 15,526 fines of which 1,457 were withdrawn.
Mr Platt also criticised Leeds City Council as the figures it provided showed the vast majority of fines issued were specifically for parents going on holiday.
He said: “In reality this is what most councils are doing, but the way Leeds has presented the figures confirms it is specifically issuing fines for children going on unauthorised holidays – but an unauthorised absence on its own is not a criminal offence.
“If parents in Yorkshire have children who regularly attended school then they should challenge the fines.”
The director of children’s services in Leeds, Nigel Richardson, stressed the council had a responsibility to ensure any fines issued follow government guidance, and added: “We always encourage parents to think twice before booking holidays in term time as children with poor attendance tend to achieve less well. Neither we nor our schools have any choice but to abide by the law, which changed in 2013. We will continue to support schools and parents to ensure children attend school regularly and benefit from taking a full and active part in daily school life.”
Unauthorised absence is not a criminal offence. Campaigner Jon Platt on the row over term-time holidays