Letter from Hilary Myers to the Halifax Courier, 29 November 2009:
When I read the letter from Anne Collins (Secretary, Calderdale District Labour Party) attacking Craig Whittaker (Conservative Cabinet Member with responsibility for Children, Schools and Families) over the schools rebuilding issue (Your Say, 25th Nov), I felt like knocking both their heads together.
It is pathetic to see Labour still blaming the Tories for their record in government when they have had over twelve years to put things right. And depressing to see them trumpeting PFI as a success story when it is clear that, just like the failing banks, this is a chicken that will surely come home to roost. But if, as Anne suggests, we have missed out on Building Schools for the Future (BSF) funding because we are not sufficiently disadvantaged in Calderdale, that only goes to show that the Government’s flagship school building programme was not sensibly set up in the first place. Because, as we all know, even the more affluent authorities can contain deprived communities and certain schools in dire need of rebuilding. Todmorden High School is a case in point. It has been at the top of Calderdale’s list for priority re-building for years now. But for your correspondent to suggest that the Council has not put its hand in its pocket is quite wrong. I could point you to a catalogue of serious remedial work, temporary structures and partial rebuilding that has been paid for in recent times. But it is just another case of throwing good taxpayers’ money after bad, as what the school really needs is brand new foundations and buildings fit for purpose in the 21st century – not more papering over the cracks.
So I think Ms. Collins is attacking Mr. Whittaker on the wrong point here. My beef with the Tory administration of which he is a part is that they have singularly failed St. Catherine’s High School, which they took over in 2007 in a bid to improve standards after two inspections sent it into Special Measures. Two and a half years later, the school’s key GCSE exam results have not improved by a single percentage point. Now the same Tory led Council has stepped in to save Park Lane High, Exley, which has similar problems. How are we to have any confidence in an administration that has this year lost a star in its overall rating for Children’s and Young People’s Services? And how are we to have any confidence in Cllr Whittaker in his bid to become Calder Valley’s next MP when his track record in his key area of responsibility in local government is so woeful?
When it comes to Education, Education, Education, both Labour nationally and the Conservatives locally, are letting our children down.
