CRIMINAL record checks have disrupted a council scheme to encourage parents to car share with each other.

New Home Office rules mean Buckinghamshire County Council can no longer promote the organised car-share schemes for the school run.

The new measures – the Vetting and Barring scheme - come from the Independent Safeguarding Authority, and will supersede Criminal Record Bureau checks in child protection matters.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: "The Vetting and Barring Scheme does not cover personal or family relationships, so parents making informal arrangements to give lifts to children will not have to be vetted.

"However anyone working or volunteering on behalf of a third party organisation — for example a sports club or a charity — who has frequent or intensive access to children or vulnerable adults will have to be registered with the Scheme. For volunteers, registration is free.

"We believe this is a common sense approach, and what parents would rightly expect."

Richard Groom, 53, from Gilletts Lane, believes that the traffic caused by the music centre on Mill End Road at the weekends could be eased if parents shared lifts- but has been met with opposition.

He said: “After the start of the new term traffic on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings is greatly increased because of parents picking up their children.

“I tried to get the council to help but they said that, whilst parents can make individual car sharing arrangements, because of the new CRB rules the council can no longer encourage parents to use the Bucks Car Share website.”

“We seem to be careering towards a utopian state of government-controlled total safety.”

The upset comes after two policewomen in Aylesbury have been told they are not allowed to look after each other's children, due to government guidelines which often aren't clear.

Buckinghamshire County Councillor Marion Clayton, cabinet member for achievement, learning and skills, thinks the rules need to be clarified.

She said: “As far as I am aware if it is a personal arrangement parents can organise car share between themselves. If the school was to tell the parents to car share that does require a CRB check as it is seen as an organisation.

“I think it would be helpful for the Department for Families, Children and Schools to clarify the rules as at the moment parents just aren't sure.”

Frances Alexander, who runs the Environment Centre in Rye said that anything that makes car sharing more difficult is a tragedy and fails the green agenda.

She added: “I feel concerned that security is getting so regulated that parents cannot take each other's children to school.

“Are there any examples of children being molested because of car sharing on a school run? I need to be convinced if it is necessary and see the facts and figures.

“The green agenda is the most important agenda in the world because at the moment we are heading towards unimaginable problems.”

Leader of Wycombe District Council Lesley Clarke thought it is over regulated and 'quite strange' but doubts whether a car sharing scheme will help decrease cars on the road.

She said: “Regarding the CRB checks I do wonder what we are playing at. Parents have been giving lifts to each other's children for years so I don't know see why it is suddenly a problem now.”

“It is difficult to say that car sharing would ease congestion. If you can car share that is something we are all looking forward to but it doesn't always work out.”

Simon Salisbury, headteacher at High Wycombe Music Centre, said he is happy to have a car sharing system but needed more guidance.

He added that the school tries to keep traffic to a minimum with a one way system that means the parents can park in the school playground to drop their children off.

The last people leave at 9.15pm on Fridays and on Saturdays school starts at 8.30pm and 12.30pm.

“There is also a swimming centre and a learning centre on the site so it is not just our traffic.”

“The safe guard issues are just not clear. We are willing to have a car share scheme but at the moment with the new guidelines we are not able to advertise it.”

A Home Office spokesman said: "The UK already has one of the most advanced systems in the world for carrying out checks on all those who work in positions of trust with children and vulnerable adults. Set up in the wake of the Soham murders, the new Vetting and Barring Scheme will from October this year ensure these regulations are even more rigorous."

The Home Office has asked us to clarify that the new CRB rules referred to by the council are in fact the Vetting and Barring Scheme.