Sunday, March 13, 2005
Liberal Democrats make a mess of public consultation on schools
The Liberal Democrats who marginally won control of Cardiff County Council in last June's local elections promised voters a more open and honest and listening Council. Sadly they have fallen at the first major hurdel - consultation with parents and Councillors over thier school re-organisation plan.
First they hid the details of a series of local public meetings from Councillors in ae-mail daily media brief that few Councillors need to check.
Worse still the details fo the meeting were released not to schools but to the South Wales Echo which published them on the 16th of February - in the middle of the half-term holiday. Finally the date for the meeting in east Cardiff (22nd February ), was the first day back at school.
To ensure local parents were aware of the meeting your Councillors produced and distributed leaflets about it outside schools in St. Mellons and Trowbridge. But many parents will have been unable toarrange child-care at short notice and and were, in effect, excluded from discussing thier children's future education. If Labour were still running the Council we would have had to look at reorganising schools but I'm certain we would have got the public consultation exercise right!
On an economic analysis alone, school closures may prove to be necessary. However children in areas of deprivation like St. Melloms and Trowbridge will benefit from attending small schools. Therefore we have a strong case to argue against any school closures in the ward.
Cllr Ralph Cook
First they hid the details of a series of local public meetings from Councillors in ae-mail daily media brief that few Councillors need to check.
Worse still the details fo the meeting were released not to schools but to the South Wales Echo which published them on the 16th of February - in the middle of the half-term holiday. Finally the date for the meeting in east Cardiff (22nd February ), was the first day back at school.
To ensure local parents were aware of the meeting your Councillors produced and distributed leaflets about it outside schools in St. Mellons and Trowbridge. But many parents will have been unable toarrange child-care at short notice and and were, in effect, excluded from discussing thier children's future education. If Labour were still running the Council we would have had to look at reorganising schools but I'm certain we would have got the public consultation exercise right!
On an economic analysis alone, school closures may prove to be necessary. However children in areas of deprivation like St. Melloms and Trowbridge will benefit from attending small schools. Therefore we have a strong case to argue against any school closures in the ward.
Cllr Ralph Cook
