A new countywide levy will be imposed on developers of new housing - to raise millions towards a council's spiralling costs to get children to school.
For the first time, Norfolk County Council is introducing a new charge on housebuilders specifically to contribute to its bill for transporting youngsters to and from school by taxis, buses and minibuses.
The Conservative-controlled council's spending on home-to-school transport soared to £62m this year and leaders believe they can generate about £1m a year through the new charge.
The council has a statutory duty to provide free travel to their nearest suitable school for eligible children aged five to 16.
The bulk of the spend is to get children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to schools best placed to cater for their needs.
That can mean costly taxi rides miles from their homes.
The council has long used section 106 agreements - part of the granting of planning permission - to get contributions from house builders towards education, libraries, green infrastructure, and fire hydrants.
That has brought in more than £189m since 2000, but County Hall has not previously used its power to secure money for home-to-school transport.
Under changes agreed by the cabinet this week, charges will now come in from 2026.
It will apply for developments of more than 20 houses and "can be sought where there is no suitable solution for sustainable access to school".
Officers said County Hall's priority would be to support sites in sustainable locations, with safe walking routes to schools, but if a scheme is outside such an area, the charge would help recoup the additional costs.
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Alison Thomas, the council's cabinet member for adult social care, said: "It is very welcome to see a planning obligation for home to school transport.
"We know how much of a pressure that puts on a big, rural county like Norfolk.
"Many of the children in rural villages have to rely on home to school transport, because the public transport is just not flexible enough or available to get them to school on time."
The amount payable will be based on the average cost for transporting pupils in the previous financial year, multiplied by the number of children expected to live in new developments.
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