Three Rivers District Councillors clash in new school debate

Members of the Liberal Democrat and Conservative groups, who have all expressed support for the project, heavily criticised each other during more than an hour of debate.

The need for a new school – most likely in the Rickmansworth area – has formally been recognised by Conservative controlled Hertfordshire County Council, with funding details agreed in part.

It is also supported by the Liberal Democrat controlled Three Rivers District Council, which hopes to announce a shortlist of potential sites next month and begin building work in 2012.

Consensus, however, was thin on the ground as councillors met for the last time before the general election.

Tory district and county councillor Chris Hayward asked why Liberal members at county hall – where that party is in opposition – did not support recent Conservative budget proposals to allocate more than £80million to expanding school places. That decision, he claimed, had failed local parents.

Liberal Democrat County Councillor Paul Goggins, however, was scathing in his response, explaining that his members had voted against the budget as a whole and not specifically against education proposals – which they support.

He added: “I take this as a personal insult to me.” He went onto attack previous Tory administrations for closing school sites and selling off the land for housing.

Both sides, however, did express support for increasing the number of secondary school choices for primary school places from tree to six – a decision they claimed would create a level playing field compared to neighbouring counties, who all offer greater choice.

A Liberal Democrat motion requesting this to County Hall, however, was agreed without cross-party support because of its condemnation of its Conservative leadership.

Labour’s Francis Durham, speaking in his last council meeting, stressed the need for a new school in the South Oxhey area, where, he argues, there is even greater need.