Friday, 28 June 2013
Why Don't We Have A School In Lower Earley?
Written by Clive Jones
Over
the past few years Liberal Democrats have been asked by residents "why
is there no secondary school in Lower Earley for Lower Earley children?"
With
so many houses and families you would have thought that the planner of
the 1970's and 80's would have put in some provision for a secondary
school, wouldn't you?
Well they did but the Tories sold off the land in 1991.
In
July 1991 at a meeting of the Berkshire County Council the Conservative
leader Cllr Gareth Gimblett proposed that the Council sell the 4 acres
of land off Cutbush lane that had been designated as land for
Educational use and also not to take up the option of a further 16 acres
of adjoining land.
37 Conservatives voted for the sell off. 16 liberal Democrat and 1 Independent AH Fuad (Thames ward) voted against the sale. 19 Labour and 1 independent Arthur hartley(Old Windsor) abstained.
The
Conservatives got their way and the land was sold despite fierce
Liberal Democrat opposition. It's a shame that Labour abstained and
refused to support the Liberal Democrats.
This is why we dont have a Secondary School in Lower Earley.
You can download a copy of the minutes from the Berkshire County Council meeting referred to above here:
https://sites.google.com/a/earleyliberaldemocrats.org/earley-lib-dem-newsletters/home/Minutes-BCC-20071991.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1