Ruling was followed by sharp drop in issuing of penalties

NEW FIGURES from councils show a clear drop in the number of fines being issued for termtime holidays across parts of the region since a High Court ruling backed a parent who had refused to pay.

North Yorkshire County Council has said that it has changed its approach following the case involving Isle of Wight parent Jon Platt.

Figures elsewhere also suggest that other authorities or schools have changed their stance as well.

Data from eight councils in the region show that in at least half of these areas there has been a drop in the number of penalty notices issued between May and July this year and the same period 12 months ago.

In North Yorkshire, the number of fines issued over the course of the school year fell from 857 in 2014/15 to 488 in 2015/16.

The drop in the summer months is even more noticeable.

In June and July 2015, it issued 258 fines but by this year it had fallen to 29. The council said that in light of the High Court decision, it was only issuing fines where a child’s attendance record was below 90 per cent.

In Sheffield, the council provided figures up until June this year. It shows that 280 fines were issued in May 2015 compared with 31 in May this year. And in June it says 900 fines were issued in 2015 but just three were issued this year. Nobody from the authority was available for comment.

In Doncaster, the number of fines issued from May to June 2015 was 939 but for the same period this year it was 195.

Damian Allen, the director of learning opportunities and skills, said: “Doncaster Council will continue to promote the importance of regular school attendance to all parents and where appropriate issue fixed penalty notices and take court action. Following the Platt court judgement, we took time to seek and clarify Department of Education advice and we are now issuing fines in line with the guidance given.”

In Kirklees, the number of fines has increased in 2015/16 compared with 2014/15 but fell in July after the case.

A council spokesman said: “We continue to consider each penalty notice on a case by case basis. That policy has not changed.”

Elsewhere, there was no clear drop in fines in Leeds or Rotherham after the court case and fines increased in York from 10 in 2014/15 to 50 this year.