Lib Dems Deliver More Primary School Places (Twickenham & Richmond Liberal Democrats)

Lib Dems Deliver More Primary School Places

April 24, 2010 8:10 PM

Eady • Cllr Malcolm Eady writes: THIS September, the first classrooms of the Council's £32 million Primary Schools Expansion Programme, which is delivering 1,050 new places, will be available.

The second phase of the Primary School Capital Programme is now well underway. At the Cabinet on Monday the process by which architects, surveyors and engineers will be appointed to carry out the necessary feasibility studies for the Second Phase was agreed. This will provide 840 extra places, to cover growth for the next 5 years. As with all studies of this type the Cabinet Report quite properly listed possible risk factors, such as planning problems and expectations from schools, which cannot be met from within allocated budgets. As with any massive programme of investment it is vital that these potential risks are identified at an early stage so that they can be properly managed.

Rather than welcoming this proper approach to planning this massive programme of investment in the borough's primary schools, the Conservatives have chosen to issue yet another scaremongering attack claiming that the "programme is full of risks". This is simply not the case and is a gross misrepresentation of the report. For the Conservatives to attack any other party regarding education plans is quite breath taking. It is worth remembering that in their four years in office they commissioned just 210 additional primary places, just 25 % of what was actually required and when they were ejected from office they had no plans for future provision other than a simple request for a feasibility study. This lack of forward planning resulted in even more time being lost, as it takes about 3 years to deliver an expanded school.

Compare this with the steps taken in just four years by the Liberal Democrats:

• In 2007 we provided an additional 60 primary school places;

• In 2008 we provided an additional 90 primary school places;

• In 2009 we provided an additional 210 primary places (achieving in one year what the Tories achieved in nearly half a decade);

• In 2010 to cope with the unprecedented demand for our excellent primary school we have added yet another 240 new primary places plus the first 30 at a phase one expanded school.

 Contrary to the scare mongering impression given by the Tories not a single borough child has failed to achieve a place in our primary schools over the last four years. The difference between the parties in commissioning places over their most recent terms in office is:-

2002 - 2006 Conservatives: 210 Places

2006 - 2010 Lib Dems: 1,650 Places

 Just before the 2002 election the then Lib Dem Administration commissioned 1500 places - the pattern repeats itself. The Conservatives completely failed in their school place planning provision. We have not. Every year we have offered reception aged borough children a place at one of our schools. The same will happen this year. For Conservatives to use phrases such as "brought misery for many parents who have no place for their very young children" is just emotive scaremongering of the worst type, and shows what type of election campaign they are running.

 On May 6th 2010 you will have the chance to choose a Lib Dem track record of delivery on Primary Schools or risk another four years of Tory neglect.

Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats: