Father wins court battle over term-time holidays
whose children have a good attendance record are more likely to win a case that comes to court.
Mr Platt, who runs a business helping customers win compensation from banks, was fined by Isle of Wight Council after he took his family to Florida in April last year.
It was the only time that they could co-ordinate the trip with 17 relatives. Mr Platt was originally fined £60. This was then doubled because of refusal to pay.
The dispute went before Isle of Wight magistrates last October. They ruled there was no case to answer after taking into account Mr Platt’s daughter’s attendance record of over 90 per cent.
Yesterday Lord Justice Lloyd Jones and Mrs Justice Thirlwall dismissed an appeal against the ruling by the local authority saying the magistrates had not “erred in law”. The judges found the magistrates were entitled to take into account the “wider picture” of the his child’s attendance record. The ruling was welcomed by campaigners yesterday. Frank Brehany, of consumer group Holiday Travel Watch, said: “Common sense appears to have prevailed.
“It gives hope that the Government will finally listen to parents and schools and remove this ridiculous law. It is also time for the travel industry to stop hiding behind the ‘market forces’ argument and produce a product that is evenly priced for all.”
A survey yesterday revealed that families face paying more than as double for a package holiday soon as school holidays begin.
Travel money provider FairFX found a family of four staying at a four-star hotel in Tenerife, Majorca, the Costa del Sol and the Algarve faced price rises of up to 115 per cent more compared with the same trip taken two weeks before schools close for the summer.
The Department for Education said it was disappointed by the High Court ruling and would now look to change the law. A spokesman said: “Children’s attendance at school is non-negotiable.”