Parents' group urges county council to select site for new school (From Watford Observer)

WD3 action group urges Hertfordshire County Council to make decision on new school site

11:50am Thursday 4th March 2010 in News By Adam Binnie

Parents in the Rickmansworth area are demanding that Hertfordshire County Council give a key decision about the placement of a new school their most urgent attention.

The WD3 School Action Group campaigned for some of an £82.5m education improvement budget, approved last week, to be spent on a new school, in order to deal with a forecasted deficit of more than 250 in the next ten years

County Councillor Richard Thake, cabinet member for education and skills, said that although the Rickmansworth area remained a personal priority, the council would have to work alongside Three Rivers District Council (TRDC) to find a suitable location for a new school.

TRDC has since proposed eight sites on which a new school could be located.

In order for any of them to be included in local development plans, the county council must first confirm the need for a new school to be built locally by TRDC's proposed planning deadline of March 12.

This would allow councillors to press ahead with a public consultation in the next financial year.

Carolyn Venn, vice chairman of the WD3 School Action Group, said: “County council has let it be known that it is seeking a timeline by the end of next week – perilously close to the deadline.

“Failure to accord to this timeline will severely affect the chances of having a new school sited locally in the near future.”

In light of this, the group has demanded that the Conservative-led county council and the Liberal Democrat-led district council, put their political differences aside to avoid vital money being spent on expanding existing schools, which it claims will not meet long term demand.

Mark Sutton, chairman of the WD3 School Action Group, said: "Our very real concern as parents is that the county council is leaving it very, very late in the day to meeting the deadline.

“They must give their most urgent possible attention to provide written confirmation to Three Rivers District Council so as not to miss this window of opportunity."

Ann Shaw, Liberal Democrat leader of Three Rivers District Council, previously agreed that both councils needed to work together to identify a solution as quickly as possible.

She added: “This is the first time in ten years I feel we have a chance of getting somewhere in improving the situation for local families.”