OPPOSITION FORCES RETHINK ON PRIMARY SCHOOL CLOSURES!
Opposition Councillors last night forced Bristol's minority Labour Administration to agree to rethink its controversial plans to close three
city primary schools.
In a highly charged debate, with the public gallery packed with parents and pupils opposing the move, Labour Councillors failed to push through an endorsement of their proposal to shut St George's CoE, St Pius X Catholic School and Stockwood Green.
Instead, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats combined to force an amendment demanding that the closures be re-examined.
Conservative Education spokesman Councillor John Goulandris attacked the rationale behind the proposed closures, which he said was contrary to Government guidance recommending that poor-performing schools should be prioritised for closure in the event of surplus places.
Cllr Goulandris (Con, Stoke Bishop) said: "I urge the Cabinet to urgently re-examine the flawed premises underlying these proposals. Specifically, we ask them to reconsider the closure of St George's Primary, St Pius and Stockwood Green, all of which have been recognised by Ofsted as improving well.
"I trust Cabinet will respect the wishes of what is a hung council. If it does not, members inevitably will have to consider whether this cabinet still commands the confidence and respect of members."
Stockwood Tory Councillor Jay Jethwa, who has led the campaign against the closure of her local primary, said: "People in Stockwood feel that - yet again - we are being ignored and forgotten.
"By closing Stockwood Green Primary, our neighbourhood will not only lose a vital service and choice for parents, but also a building and land used by the local community.
"Also the closure plan takes absolutely no account of the current intention to build hundreds - if not thousands - of new homes in our area."
Faced with determined Conservative and Lib Dem opposition, Labour's Councillor Peter Hammond (Executive Member for Cohesion & Raising Achievement) backed-down and agreed that the Cabinet would review the proposed closures at its next meeting on 30th October.
“However, it is vital that we get this right at the design phase and local people are concerned that certain proposals would adversely affect the success of local shops as well as increasing congestion at this traffic choke-point.
“The public meeting which Cllr Kevin Quartley and I have organised should provide an excellent opportunity to discuss the current plans and for local residents and traders to put forward their point of view.”
The consultation on the junction make-over will finish on 31st October 2008 but work is not expected to start until next year, once the final redesign has been given the go-ahead.
