Outcry as boy rejected bus pass for not being baptised

A Durham boy has been refused a bus pass because he has not been baptised as a Roman Catholic.

Elliott Stewart, 11, was denied a free pass to St Leonard's School in Durham because local council rules state that a child and at least one of his parents must be a baptised Catholic to qualify for subsidised travel to a faith school, reports the Newcastle-based Journal Live.

Fiona Hall, a Liberal Democrat MEP has written to the Equality and Human Rights Commission to complain about the treatment of the boy. She said, "Whether or not a child is baptised should be a matter for the parents, not the council.

"Eligibility for free travel to and from school should not depend on religious convictions.

"I had previously written to the Schools Minister and Durham County Council and have now approached the Equality and Human Rights Commission."

The bus pass seems to have been denied on a technicality. The eleven-year-old apparently does not automatically qualify for the pass like most children, as his school, St Leonard's, is not the closest to him.

Therefore, stricter rules have been imposed on him, which state that Elliot and at least one of his parents must be a baptised Catholic to get subsidised travel to the faith school.

Elliot's mother has expressed her dismay to local reporters, telling The Journal: "I'm hoping that this move might give a positive reaction. It's an absolute waste of money - it's incredible that it has gone this far.

"He just wants money to get to school - nothing else. I thought it would be resolved by now though."

In September, Elliot's parents wrote to Ms Hall MEP explaining their situation, and she has now taken the matter up with Durham County Council and Education Secretary Ed Balls.

This week she has also decided to take the matter further due to the lack of movement on the matter, and has written to the Equality Commission to ask whether the case constitutes religious discrimination.

Elliot's mother is now hoping for a swift end to the matter. She concluded: "It's against everything that religion and education should stand for."