Sponsored by
Schools merger approved
CAMPAIGNERS have lost their battle to prevent the merger of two secondary schools after Sheffield councillors overturned a previous decision not to go ahead with the scheme.
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.
Main news index.
What do you think?
Post your comments below.
Click here to email the Editor.
Send us a text message. Text STARTEXT followed by a space, your name and postcode and your comments up to a maximum of 160 characters and send to 84070. Texts cost 25p plus standard network charge. Text EXIT at the end of your message if you do not want to receive details of other products and services.
If the merger goes ahead it will leave a nasty taste in people’s mouths for a long time.”
But council leader Coun Jan Wilson said a federation of two smaller schools was impossible because Government policy does not allow reduction of places at oversubscribed schools such as Wisewood, while removing further places at Myers would mean it could no longer balance the books financially.
And Labour claims that, despite Mr Walker’s letter, if there is too long a delay in securing BSF funding, Sheffield would miss out on the current grants because they are only handed out for a limited time.
“We cannot give up the opportunity of this money to replace the other schools and the Lib Dems’ proposal would not work,” Coun Wilson said.
But, with neither the Lib Dems or Labour having enough councillors to win the vote, the result was still in the balance.
The result was likely to depend on the position of Greens Jillian Creasy and Bernard Little, and new Sheffield Group of Conservative Anne Smith and independent Martin Davis, who did not publicly declare their intentions before the meeting.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
