A council school transport document has been described as "mind-bogglingly difficult" to read.

Cllr Tony Alford (Eggardon) said the document, which sets out the rules for eligibility for school buses, ought to be an easy read and straightforward, but he had found entire sections which made no sense to him, despite years of experience as a councillor.

He said it appeared the document was first produced many years ago and then amended repeatedly making it impossible to fathom.

"It really needs to be re-written using plain language that people can understand. That would be really helpful and needs to be done soon," he said.

A similar complaint about council reports was made earlier in the month by council deputy leader Peter Wharf, who also confessed to sometimes having trouble with what was being said in official documents.

Senior officer responsible for school admissions and transport, Ed Denham, admitted the transport document was not the easiest of reads – because it had to set out, in detail, a complex set of arrangements over catchment areas and eligibility for transport.

An offer by education director Vik Verma to produce a 'parent-friendly' version of the document which would be in addition to the main document was rejected by the committee – which said it wanted the main document changed so that everyone could understand it.

Cllr Alford said he would have thought the 'parent friendly' version would have existed anyway.