Council break buggy promise to parents - Concordat dumped, says Robert Brown

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 14th Apr 2009

Robert Brown at the Save St Agnes Primary School campaign

Glasgow MSP Robert Brown has today slammed Glasgow City Council for dumping their Single Outcome Agreement with the Scottish Government signed only 9 months ago.

Mr. Brown said this was the only conclusion to be drawn from the Council's primary school closure plans.

A key part of the Single Outcome Agreement was that 100% of parents and carers would have "access to…education within buggy pushing distance of their home". (see notes below)

Mr. Brown, who has been closely involved in campaigning against a number of closure proposals - particularly in the north of the city -, made the claim as Councillors move towards decisions on the future of a number of schools in the city today.

Robert Brown said:

"The Council's Single Outcome Agreement was signed only in July last year. It made a number of promises. If the primary school closures go ahead as currently proposed, they will dump key promises made in the Agreement and make the whole thing worthless.

"An important promise was that 100% of parents and carers would 'have access to high quality education and childcare within buggy pushing distance of their home'.

"How this fits with moving children to schools a mile or a mile and a half away from their existing school defies belief. I'd like to see Councillor Purcell push a buggy for a mile and a half twice a day and then argue this is an acceptable distance.

"The parents of Wyndford and St. Gregory's Primary Schools, and St. Agnes' Primary School have demonstrated very clearly that their current safe and local access to a school in their own community is being replaced by a hazardous and lengthy trek to school.

"This trek could not possibly be described as "within buggy pushing distance"

"The Agreement also talks about the importance of involving the local community in the delivery of public services. It talks about "community influence in determining the issues that matter most to communities" In reality, the school closure plans were drawn up without any community involvement at all.

"Despite promises in the Agreement that "we live in well-designed, sustainable places …able to access …services", the community of Wyndford where children walk safely to school is being left with no school at all to walk to.

"And despite agreement with Government to reduce class sizes, class sizes are being increased as a result of the proposed closures.

"This is policy made up on the back of a matchbox. The Council should rethink their school closure plans now."

ends

Notes to Editors:

www.robertbrown.org.uk

Single Outcome Agreement (see page 29 for Buggy Reference) can be found here:

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/D943B713-0BF3-4F54-BA1E-04817F51A827/0/GlasgowsSingleOutcomeAgreementJune2008.pdf