Asked by parents at last night's Sudbiry Hustings about the proposed Byron Court Primary School expansion, Barry Gardiner, Labour candidate for Brent North, reiterated his opposition. He said that a primary school of more than 1,000 pupils was unacceptable and said that if Brent Council granted planning permission, he would appeal against it to the Labour Secretary of State (if Labour won the election).
The other candidates at the hustings Scott Bartle (Green), Paul Lorber (Liberal Democrat) and Luke Parker (Conservative) also opposed the expansion on varying grounds.
Scott Bartle emphasised the Green's commitment to human sized schools and support for local authorities to be given back the power to plan and build new schools. The Green Party would bring academies and free schools back into the local autoirty family of schools to bring order back to the system. He said that the way Gladstone Free School had failed to open leaving pupils adrift was a scandal.
Barry Gardiner also referred to the 'free school' disaster and criticised the Tory approach to academies which had turned on its head Labour's original concept of a fresh start for failing schools.
Paul Lorber opposed the expansion on grounds of size but said that the real issue was the lack of any land for new schools of any kind in the borough. He mentioned the three form entry primary that Quintain were due to build near the stadium but said that he had no idea when that woudl be built.
Luke Parker wanted more free schools in the borough and claimed that Brent Council were opposed to them on ideological grounds and because they were under pressure from teaching unions.
The other candidates at the hustings Scott Bartle (Green), Paul Lorber (Liberal Democrat) and Luke Parker (Conservative) also opposed the expansion on varying grounds.
Scott Bartle emphasised the Green's commitment to human sized schools and support for local authorities to be given back the power to plan and build new schools. The Green Party would bring academies and free schools back into the local autoirty family of schools to bring order back to the system. He said that the way Gladstone Free School had failed to open leaving pupils adrift was a scandal.
Barry Gardiner also referred to the 'free school' disaster and criticised the Tory approach to academies which had turned on its head Labour's original concept of a fresh start for failing schools.
Paul Lorber opposed the expansion on grounds of size but said that the real issue was the lack of any land for new schools of any kind in the borough. He mentioned the three form entry primary that Quintain were due to build near the stadium but said that he had no idea when that woudl be built.
Luke Parker wanted more free schools in the borough and claimed that Brent Council were opposed to them on ideological grounds and because they were under pressure from teaching unions.
Gaynor Lloyd sent in this comment: There won't be any free public land left after the Coalition Infrastructure Act helping to facilitate the great public land sell off. Even if it's in use. I thought it was just the NHS. Here's a link to a very depressing article on the subject. https://www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/deborah-harrington/going-going-gone-great-hospital-selloff
ReplyDeleteGaynor
Barry was there in the new labour days and was SILENT on the labour plan to privatize housing due to labour councils running down council estates in their battle against the torys and spending the housing budget on political communist warfare.
ReplyDeleteNew labour failed to regenarate the building of social housing and recreated it into private run housing associations that could by ownership of same council property double the rent from benefit at no cost to the tenant on benefit.
The transfer of the council stock to housing associations was free property and land with government grants for redevelopment that failed to take into account the social impact on the area being overdeveloped.
This is the legacy of new labour old labour.