Prime Minister to investigate school closure plans
November 5, 2009 3:57 PM
The Prime Minister has promised to investigate the circumstances under which Essex County Council has proposed the closure of two secondary schools in Colchester - a promise which has been welcomed by Colchester MP Bob Russell who invited the Prime Minister to intervene.
Mr Gordon Brown gave the pledge during Prime Minister's Questions after being challenged by Colchester MP Bob Russell.
The Town's Liberal Democrat MP has been battling against plans by the Tory-controlled County Council to shut Alderman Blaxill School at Shrub End and Thomas Lord Audley School at Monkwick.
Mr Russell told a packed House of Commons: "Colchester is the fastest-growing Borough in the country. Despite this, the Tory-controlled Essex County Council is planning to shut two of the Town's seven secondary schools.
"It is now known that the Council massaged the figures of projected pupil numbers.
"Would the Prime Minister therefore agree that the re-organisation proposals should be investigated by the Office of the Schools' Adjudicator - particularly since Essex County Council gave false information to the Department for Children, Schools and Families?"
Responding, Mr Brown said that that the situation which Mr Russell had described was a warning to what happens under Conservative administrations! He then promised to look into the issue which Mr Russell had made.
Later, Mr Russell said that he had immediately written to the Prime Minister - hand-delivering the letter to 10 Downing Street - with information to back his assertion that the County Council had got their figures wrong and that the County Council had given false information to the Government about its future intentions for secondary school provision in Colchester
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats