| Topic: | Cuts to Schools Building Programme | |
| Posted by: | Adam Gray | |
| Date/Time: | 10/07/10 17:09:00 |
| They weren't unsuccessful Alan: they didn't apply! And that despite knowing of the dreadful state of Elliott since they inherited responsibility for it in 1990. Even when I was an Elliott pupil in the 1980s (probably the last time there was major work to the building - when they were removing blue asbestos!) the school building was a hindrance to learning: freezing cold in winter, blistering hot in summer. The state it's in today is many times worse than that. I should also just add, given that this thread is dominated (rightly) by Elliott, that also lost has been money the council was depending on to amalgamate John Paul II school in Princes Way with Salesian College in Battersea to create a new St John Bosco school on the Salesian site. If the amalgamation of these two can't go ahead, presumably there will be an ongoing additional cost to council taxpayers of running both - so not even a supposed saving in this case. St Cecilia's in Sutherland Grove has also lost out as has Paddock (though as these are both schools that have only recently been built the BSF bid was presumably relatively modest). As for Miss Greening, it's probably best I don't get drawn into commenting given I'm far from her greatest fan, perhaps other to note that in opposition, according to the independent Public Whip website, she voted 97% of the time the way her party whips told her too (the remaining 3% being unwhipped votes!) - and now she's in government she's part of the 100% loyal "payroll vote". As Cedric Peachey and others have noted, she never once sided with residents against her Tory council on Wandsworth Museum, and was silent on Putney overdevelopment until Stuart King's high profile campaign with residents forced her to say something. The Tories can of course point to the election result as all the evidence they need to go on treating Putney the way they have but I just don't think that the lack of leadership they're offering our area does us justice. Ironic, given that in her first election campaign Miss Greening was critical of Tony Colman for towing the Labour line roughly about 2/3rds of the time: massively rebellious in hindsight! |