TORY COUNCIL SCHOOLS CLIMBDOWN - PEOPLE POWER IN ACTION!

11.42.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 23rd Jan 2008

Sarah Carr, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Hereford and South Herefordshire has called upon schools and local communities to keep active their Save Our Schools campaign groups following the announcement from Conservative led Herefordshire Council to suspend their hugely unpopular schools review which proposed axing more than 30 schools across Herefordshire.

Mrs Carr has been campaigning across Hereford and South Herefordshire listening to the views of parents, teachers and community members and campaigning for the damaging school closure proposals to be withdrawn by the Conservative led Council. However, Mrs Carr has expressed concern that the announcement today (21 January) from the Conservative led Council is only a suspension of the consultation, not a full withdrawal and that teachers, parents and local communities need to keep campaigning and get their views across before any final consideration of proposals in September.

Sarah Carr said,

"Local communities have come together to successfully fight the first set of proposals. I am wary that the wind may come out of the sail of local schools' campaigns following the suspension of the consultation today - schools and local communities must continue to press their views to Herefordshire Council and be ready to scrutinise the re-draft of proposals for further consultation. Local communities have worked incredibly hard to fight off Conservative-led Herefordshire Council's appalling plans to close so many popular schools and local people must continue the fight."

Sarah continued, "Herefordshire Council's announcement today to suspend the consultation was very vague. Concerned residents need to see much more detail about what this means in practice including when a new draft set of proposals will be published and new deadlines for comments on the consultation."

Herefordshire Liberal Democrats will be maintaining the 'Save Our Schools in Herefordshire' Facebook campaign group. Hundreds of people, including many young Herefordians now at University, have signed up to support the campaign and numbers are increasing every day. Herefordshire must stay united!