Cost of education 'consultation' already over £100,000!"

10.53.25pm GMT Mon 20th Feb 2006

21 days after asking the Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Cllr McEwan, about the cost of the meetings held so far by the Council to publicise their plans for an Academy to replace Hurworth and Eastbourne Schools, Cllr Martin Swainston has finally received a reply.

54 such meetings have so far been held, and the official consultation process has not even started yet! The cost so far is £40,262 - that's over £750 per meeting.

On top of this, the Council has recently appointed two new press officers to handle queries about their education plans. The total cost to the Council Tax payer, therefore, will be somewhere in the region of £100,000 - and that's before the full public consultation process starts.

All this to try to sell the Academy plan to replace Hurworth School - a proposal opposed by everyone concerned with Hurworth School, from the Governors and Head Teacher downwards.

Cllr Swainston is calling on the Cabinet to stop wasting our public money in this pointless exercise. Local parents, pupils and teachers don't want it.