There’s a piece – sadly not online - in this week’s Advertiser about the consultation meeting held last Wednesday for parents at St George’s High School.
Along with two of my colleagues – Councillors Turner and Gray – I went along to that meeting to listen to what the parents had to say. It was fairly evident that the Children’s Services Directorate did not want us to be there, but we were eventually admitted into the meeting, which is one step further than Channel M managed. None of the Conservative Councillors there turned up to cause a fuss or grandstand – we were simply there to listen to the views of parents. None of us spoke at the meeting nor indicated that we wished to speak.
I sincerely hope that the Labour Cabinet of Salford City Council will take the views of these parents – and others within the local community – into account, and alter their decision to close the school, although I remain immensely sceptical about that.
As long as the views of parents are taken down properly and considered as part of the decision-making process, then last Wednesday’s meeting will have been worthwhile.
Unfortunately it was still an immensely frustrating meeting. The decision to close St George’s has been made by the politicians – by Salford’s Labour Councillors – and council officers cannot answer questions about the political justification for any decisions, nor should they be expected to do so.
Sadly, neither Councillor Warmisham nor Councillor Merry has had the guts to show up to any of the consultation events to answer questions. It is absolutely appalling that our Labour Councillors are not prepared to stand up before the public to answer questions about the decisions they have made which will have a devastating effect on the local community.
Clearly the Labour Group vote together solidly in Council but please do not imagine that there is a consensus there rather than a majority.
The interesting thing for myself as a cosmopolitan, albeit allegedly an excitable Labour hack, is that the same things play out in Tory, Lib Dem and NOC councils and similar decisions are reached.
There is not one Council leadership of any colour that hasn’t faced an unpopular or difficult decision and had to make it.
There is rarely empathy or fellow feeling from the opposition, and as a result charges of opportunism tend to result.
Best wishes on keeping St George’s HS open. Re-jig the budget!