MP will back fight to get new schools

WARRINGTON’S new Tory MP has pledged his support to a continuing fight to get new 21st century schools for the town.
David Mowat, MP for Warrington South has already spoken to the head teachers of some of the six local schools which have been hit by the Government’s decision to suspend much of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme set up by the previous Labour government.
He said: “Going forward, each school will now be reviewed on a case by case basis and it is important that over the next few months we make an excellent case to the Government to ensure that Warrington gets the schools we deserve, delivered on a cost effective basis.
“I have today spoken to some of the affected head teachers and will be working with them and the council to ensure this happens.”
The Coalition Government’s decision to suspend the BSF programme has hit six schools in Warrington.
William Beamont High and Penketh High were to be replaced with new schools, with work starting next year and Sir Thomas Boteler CE High and Lysander High at Padgate High were undergo major refurbishment.
Only last month, council chiefs decided to start the process to win additional funding under BSF to re-build Green Lane and Fox Wood special schools at Woolston.
All six projects are affected by the cutback.
Mr Mowat said it was disappointing the Government had been forced to suspend the BSF programme. More than 700 schools, nationwide, which had not been signed off by the previous Government had been stopped and still included six in Warrington.
But he slammed the Labour Government for raising false hopes by setting up a programme without having the money to pay for it.
He said: “Labour cynically promised funding without identifying where the cash was to come from. They were relying on huge underspends from other departments which never materialised.
“The whole programme was overly bureaucratic and involved huge fees being paid to consultants, inflating the cost of each school to double the amount paid historically or in comparison to other countries such as Ireland.”
But Coun Terry O’Neill, leader of the Labour group on Warrington Borough Council said: “This is just a disaster. The coalition Government is cutting too fast and too much without any thought to the effect on communities like Warrington.
“They don’t seem to have put any thought into what they are doing.”
Coun O’Neill expressed concern about the impact of the cuts on Warrington’s prestigious Orford Park Project.
He said: “The new Beamont High School is an integral part of it. I don’t know what effect it will have on the overall scheme.
“But it is a much-needed new school anyway. I will be having talks with council officers about this.”
Coun O’Neill was bitterly critical of the Liberal Democrat leadership nationally.
“They campaigned against cuts like these in the General Election campaign – now they are supporting a Right Wing Tory Government for the sake of five minutes of fame,” he said.
Pictured: David Mowat (top) and Terry O’Neill.