The Isle of Wight councillor spearheading contentious school closure plans has asked his cabinet colleagues to defer a landmark decision.
Education cabinet member Cllr Jonathan Bacon made the call following a storm of criticism from County Hall watchdog the Corporate Scrutiny Committee (CSC) on Tuesday evening (March 4).
CSC unanimously passed a motion stating it had been ‘treated shamefully’ and that ‘any effective and meaningful scrutiny’ of the closures decision is ‘open to ridicule’.
Councillor Geoff Brodie’s submission said CSC had received a ‘circa 1,700 page cabinet report’ setting out the case for the closures ‘just three full working days’ before its Tuesday meeting.
It noted:
“Papers for committees are legally supposed to be published at least five full working days beforehand, with the accompanying publication of background papers being considered to be good practice for effective and meaningful scrutiny.”
Cllr Bacon said this afternoon:
“Following the scrutiny meeting on Tuesday and their request for additional time to scrutinise the cabinet report on school planning, and having considered that request, I can confirm I shall be asking cabinet not to consider the School Place Planning (SPP) item at tonight’s cabinet meeting and to defer the decision.”
At Tuesday’s meeting, he said: “I get his (Cllr Brodie’s) point very much. We have to remember there are many other things going on in the council at the moment and in the education system.
“And, as such, I would be very happy to offer a delay of one week to next week. We already have a CSC and a cabinet in the diary for next week.
“The problem with two weeks is that we will then adversely affect the primary admissions process.
“We are at the point at which letters are due to be sent out for all those due to join primary schools this coming September and if we are put in a position where any decisions in this matter are delayed for another two weeks, I’m not sure how that process can happen, or whether it can happen.”
CSC ultimately requested a two-week postponement of the closures decision until March 20 which it said would ‘allow effective and meaningful scrutiny to be undertaken’.
What A Mess — Timeline Of Ventnor Road Repairs In Limbo Following Latest Collapse
Gurnard Primary School Shines In Latest Ofsted Inspection
Newport Man Arrested After Damaging Ryde Hotel And Being Abusive To Members Of The Public
Assault On Teenage Girl Sees 15 Year-Old Boy Arrested
Councillor Accuses County Hall Planners Of "Intransigence" In "Correctly" Applying Planning Law
Cabinet Asked Whether School Closure Plans Are "Truly Financially Viable"
G4's Mike Christie To Release Walk The Wight Song In Aid Of Mountbatten
Victorian Society Objects To 'Needlessly Damaging' Proposals For Isle Of Wight Church
Isle Of Wight Council By-Election Likely To Be Held In May
Council Opens Enforcement Case In Response To Developer's "Alleged Breach Of Planning Controls"
Find Out How Council's £600,000 Leeson Road Investment Will Be Spent
New High Street Health And Wellbeing Centre To Open In Newport
Cowes Library Set To Undergo Building Works To Improve Accessibility
Isle Of Wight Park Could Be Upgraded As Part Of Council Works Scheme
"Treated Shamefully": County Hall Watchdog Lashes Out At Cabinet
Residents And Councillors Rally Against 20-Metre 'Eyesore' Telecoms Mast
Unions To Hold Indicative Strike Ballots Over 'Potentially Catastrophic' School Closure Plans
Bob Back On The Job: Former MP Seely Returns To Politics With Freshwater Parish Council
