Sir, Members of Lowick Parish Council were present at the School Organisation Committee meeting and witnessed the phone call from Rex Toft ordering Bob Edgar to change his mind and vote to close the school. I spoke to Bob Edgar before the phonecall and he said that he had formed his opinion on the papers that were sent to him and the evidence that was presented to the meeting by both sides. Now we hear Mike Ash deputy leader of Cumbria County Council admit on local radio that it was decided beforehand which way the Conservative and Liberal Democrat representatives would vote and that the vote to close the school would be won by three votes to two, one Conservative representative was ill and could not be there and the other was a substitute, the unfortunate Bob Edgar who had formed his own independent opinion. So the best laid plans went wrong and were exposed in the Gazette and in front of many witnesses at the meeting. The school was robbed of the opportunity of the case being presented to an independent adjudicator. Let us hope that a Public Inquiry will be set up to investigate the issue and save the school from closure.

At council and parish council meetings when a councillor has an interest in an item on the agenda he registers his interest with the chairman and excuses himself from the debate and voting when the item is discussed. At this same School Organisation Committee meeting one of the school group members registered his interest and excused himself when Abbotsmead School was to be discussed as he was chairman of the school governors. He retired to the rear of the council chamber and took no part in the debate and neither did he vote.

In the case of Lowick School the three members of the Church of England group did not register an interest even though they had a very strong financial interest because if the school closes and is sold the money goes to the Church of England. They took part in the debate and voted to close the school leaving one to wonder if their vote was influenced by the prospect of financial gain.

One must question the legality of the procedure on which this committee operates. Also, does the action of the LEA group and the Church of England Group render this meeting invalid? Will this meeting have to be held AGAIN with an independent LEA group and minus the Church of England group or does it go to a higher independent authority? It was very clear in a public way that the community and governors of the school at Lowick were not playing on a level playing field. So what happens now?

Coun Liz Vaughan, Chairman

Lowick Parish Council

February 7, 2003 15:30