In a tense vote following a heated debate in the Town Hall, plans to close Wisewood and Myers Grove schools and replace them with a new school on the Myers site, to remove hundreds of surplus places, were approved by 43 votes to 40.

The outcome of the full council meeting reverses an earlier decision last month to abandon the merger and look at ways of keeping both schools open.

That was won through the support of all 39 Liberal Democrat councillors, two Greens, and independent Martin Davis, plus the use of Lord Mayor Coun Arthur Dunworth's second, casting vote, to defeat Labour and lone Conservative Anne Smith by 43 votes to 42.

But Sheffield Council officers looked again at the proposals and decided keeping both Wisewood and Myers Grove open was not financially viable due to a predicted fall in pupil numbers leading to surplus places.


They also said it would delay and possibly risk Sheffield's £250 million allocation of funding to rebuild schools around the city.
The Government said it will not hand over the cash unless the surplus school places - caused by a declining birth rate in the Hillsborough area - are removed.

Before today's vote there were further protests from Save Our Community Schools group, mainly made up of Wisewood parents, which has been fighting the merger since it was first proposed last year. A petition was handed to the council.

But petitions were also submitted by parents of pupils at Myers Grove and its feeder schools calling for the merger to go ahead. They were delighted with the outcome of the vote.

During a lengthy debate of almost two hours, Sheffield Council leader Jan Wilson said: "We don't believe this proposal is one in which any children will lose."

Lib Dem shadow cabinet member for education Sylvia Anginotti told the chamber: "We believe in standing up for local education and local communities."

The vote was decided by the absence of Lib Dem Beauchief and Greenhill councillor Tony Holmes, who had to go to hospital for an unavoidable operation, and a U-turn by Coun Davis, who represents Stocksbridge.
He initially opposed the merger and last month voted with the Lib Dems, but has joined forces with Tory Coun Smith to form The Sheffield Group, which voted with Labour.

The merger was approved by all 41 Labour councillors, plus Couns Smith and Davis. Opposing the decision were 38 Lib Dems plus Green Party Couns Jillian Creasy and Bernard Little, who both represent central ward.
Lib Dems unsuccessfully argued both schools could have been retained and surplus places removed by creating a federation in which they shared management and teachers, so they could avoid financial difficulties usually experienced by small schools.



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