Council’s plans for new schools in Hillingdon met with backlash from Labour party members

Conservatives’ decision to build and expand primary and secondary schools in Hillingdon has been met with resistance from the Labour Party who demand protection for green belt areas.

The Hillingdon Council Budget Meeting, on the 25^th of February 2016  

© Pauline Karavasili

Schools in Hillingdon are to receive a boost of £47million to meet the rising demands for student places, the Hillingdon Council has announced. Councillor Jonathan Bianco, Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Business Services, stated during the budget meeting that the Council’s future plan to invest in education “is the largest school building project in London and it is our commitment to provide every child with a proper place in a modern, well-equipped school.”

Councillor Michael White (CON, Cavendish) also told the budget meeting that “all Councils are struggling to cope with such an influx of students at the moment and in some boroughs, school halls are being used as temporary classrooms.”

Cllr Jonathan Bianco announcing the Conservative

plans at the Budget Meeting

© Pauline Karavasili

The school building project comes after claims from the Local Government Association that in recent years primary schools have been struggling to keep up with growing demands for school places. By 2024 Councils in England will have to cater for nearly 3.3m more secondary school places, an increase of 20% on now.

Rhona Johnston, Head Teacher at Queensmead School in South Ruislip, declared that “these investments are necessary. There are more children in primary education currently in Hillingdon than there are places available in secondary schools.  Without the investment there will not be enough school places for 11 year olds starting next academic year.”

The Council’s decision to build new schools and expand old ones has prompted an angry Labour reaction, who emphasised on the importance of protecting and maintaining green belt areas. Previous school building projects have been controversial among Hillingdon residents, who last year organised a protest against the building of a school in Lake Farm Country Park.

Councillor John Oswell, Deputy Leader of the Labour Group explained that “the Conservatives do not realise that any new build should be on suitable spare land and not on green belt. They recently built a new school on a much loved green belt site when there were much better options open to them.”

Councillor Tony Burles (LAB, Uxbridge South) also accused the conservative party for not having sustainable plans: “the local Conservatives are very arrogant and think that they know best without putting the needs of local people first. Their plans might sound grand, but it’s all an illusion. I call it smoke and mirrors but nothing behind it.”

“I fear that the Council has concentrated on building schools and taken its eye off the quality of the education” added Mr Burles.

 

The Conservative-led Council has invested heavily in primary education, spending over £150million on building new schools over the past five years. There are currently plans for five more infant schools in the Hillingdon Borough and Eastcote to be expanded, in order to fulfil the growing demand for new pupils.

 

On a more helpful note, Councillor Jas Dhot (LAB, Barnhill) invited both parties during the budget meeting to work together: “Labour and Conservatives are politically different, but when it comes to the betterment of our community or country, we should support each other. In Hillingdon we definitely need more schools to ensure that every child does not need to travel far for education, and together we will make this possible.”

The Council’s budget plan for schools in Hillingdon for 2016/17 – 2020/21