LABOUR'S CITY RULE AT RISK FROM TORY SCHOOLS CHALLENGE
Labour control of Bristol City Council now hangs perilously in the balance following yesterday's controversial decision to press ahead with the closure of two Bristol primary schools.
At a heated Cabinet meeting last night, Labour councillors reaffirmed their decision to shut Stockwood Green and St Pius X RC primaries but offered a temporary reprieve to St George CE school while a study looks at demand for school places in the wider Clifton area.
But Opposition Conservatives immediately announced they were calling an Extraordinary Council Meeting to bring a vote of no confidence in the Labour Administration and remove Councillor Helen Holland as Leader of Council.
Lord Mayor Cllr Chris Davies is expected to decide upon the date of the meeting within the next few days and all 70 Members of the City Council will be summoned to the meeting, which is likely to be in mid-February.
Tory Leader Cllr Richard Eddy had earlier warned education chief Peter Hammond and Cabinet colleagues that their control of the Council would be in jeopardy unless they granted a reprieve to all three schools.
Speaking after the decision, Cllr Eddy (Con, Bishopsworth) said:
“The communities surrounding St Pius and Stockwood Green will be devastated to learn that the Cabinet has chosen to ignore their pleas and steamroller through the original closure plans.
“We strongly suspect the stay-of-execution over St George Primary is merely a cynical and cosmetic ploy to smuggle it through at a later date.
“Labour's determination to press ahead regardless demonstrates that they have abandoned their pledge to work in a collaborative way, as Helen Holland promised when she took over the reigns of power two years ago.
“Both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have strongly opposed Labour's brutal primary school closures, blind support for a mass-burn incinerator at Avonmouth and heartless plans to shut more residential care homes.
“Enough is enough. We will shortly find out whether the Lib Dems have the courage of their claimed convictions and join with us in bringing an end to Labour misrule in Bristol.”
