A watchdog lashed out at the Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet on Tuesday (March 4), saying it was given ‘just three working days’ to read 1,700 pages of papers on school closures.
At an evening County Hall meeting, the Corporate Scrutiny Committee (CSC) unanimously agreed a motion stating the body had been ‘treated shamefully’ and that ‘any effective and meaningful scrutiny’ of the cabinet’s expected decision to close five primary schools on Thursday is ‘open to ridicule’.
CSC vice-chair Cllr Geoff Brodie’s proposal said the panel received a ‘circa 1,700-page cabinet report and appendices’ on school place planning only three working days before its meeting.
It also noted committee papers are ‘legally supposed to be published at least five full working days beforehand’, with the publishing of ‘background papers’ thought to be ‘good practice for effective and meaningful scrutiny’.
The submission said:
“CSC considers that it has been treated shamefully and that any effective and meaningful scrutiny of this momentous decision-making is open to ridicule.
“Another example of how cabinet governance is discredited on this council and why it will be abolished in May.
“CSC resolves to urge the cabinet to postpone decision-making on school places by two weeks until March 20, when there is already a scheduled meeting, and resolves to convene a special meeting of CSC for March 18. This will allow effective and meaningful scrutiny to be undertaken.
“Should cabinet not agree to postponement then CSC agrees to oppose the proposed closure of five named schools on the grounds that no effective or meaningful scrutiny has been facilitated by the council leadership.”
CSC member Cllr Rodney Downer said: “I’m against the closure of five schools. There hasn’t been enough time to read the papers.
“They’re far too long and written in language that is meant to bamboozle people. I certainly would have trouble reading through all of them and then understanding all of it.
“Data and statistics can be manipulated to say anything.”
Education cabinet member Cllr Jonathan Bacon, who is at the forefront of the closure plans, 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.”
In response, CSC chair Clare Mosdell said her committee had not “caused this problem” and that it was “disrespectful” to expect them to read the cabinet papers within three working days and to the Isle of Wight’s residents.
“This sounds like a you problem rather than a me problem,” she added.
Cllr Brodie said the incident was “possibly the worst example” he had come across in his time as an Isle of Wight councillor of a “last minute engagement with CSC”.
According to the reports, the Alliance cabinet is still scheduled to make a final decision on the closures of Arreton St Georges CE Primary School, Brading CE Primary School, Cowes Primary School, Oakfield CE Primary and Wroxall Primary School at a meeting on Thursday evening.
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