Agenda item

Motions paper attached. 

A.   RESTRICTIONS ON BUILDING OF SCHOOLS

Amendment by Conservative Group CARRIED by 24 votes to 13; Amendment by Labour Group NOT CARRIED by 30 votes to 14; Conservative Group amendment AGREED as substantive motion without division.

B.   ON-LINE POLICY

Amendment by Residents’ Group NOT CARRIED by 33 votes to 13; Amendment by Conservative Group CARRIED by 30 votes to 14; Conservative Group amendment AGREED as substantive motion without division.

C.   ‘ROGUE’ LANDLORDS

Motion withdrawn by Independent Residents’ Group and resubmitted to next meeting of Council.

 A   RESTRICTIONS ON BUILDING OF SCHOOLS

Motion on behalf of the Independent Residents’ Group

This Council regrets that Government’sdevolution plans involve banning councils from building new schools and restricting capital funding for existing local authority schools, as part of their policy of removing all schools from local authority control and centralising control to Whitehall.

The Council still retains a statutory duty to provide sufficient school places to meet demand from within and outside the borough, but does not have a statutory duty to provide the infrastructure needed to service the additional places and thus this council further regrets the lack of government capital funding and duty to provide quality facilities as well as additional places.

In particular, this Council believes the forecast demand from the proposed Dovers Corner-Dagenham New Road Housing Zone should be met by building an entirely new 3FE Primary school within the development and not by expanding existing schools. Existing schools should only where appropriate be expanded to meet demand from existing residential areas. At present the prospect of an entirely new school within the New Road Housing Zone is dependent on Officers securing a new privately sponsored school with funding from GLA/developer!

Thus this Council will 1) make representations to our local MPs, the Local Government Association and Secretary of State for Education to seek an urgent increase in capital funding and change in the law to allow councils to build new schools where they are needed. 2) where appropriate expand existing schools with the necessary infrastructure to meet the growing forecast demand for school places in Havering. 3) only progress the New Road Housing Zone if a 3FE Primary school is secured as part of the development to make it sustainable.

Amendment on behalf of the Conservative Group

Amend motion to read:

This Council noting that the Government’s further plans to reform school and education provision will be considered by Parliament on introduction of the forthcoming Education for All bill welcomes the intention of the Executive to review the proposals coming forward and to make appropriate representations through the LGA and London Councils and to local MPs.

The Council notes further with approval that primary school provision is an integral part of the Beam Park scheme and that progress on this will be reported to members as the matter progresses.

Amendment on behalf of the Labour Group

Amend motion to read:

This Council regrets the Government’s  Education Policies and the direction of travel set out in the recent White Paper  ‘Education Excellence Everywhere’  which together undermine the role of Local Education Authorities and which:-

1)    Severely restrict the ability of local authorities to plan and build new schools to address the demand for new school places;

2)    Reduce local councils influence and ability to support schools and to assist them achieving higher standards of performance; and,

3)    Eliminates local democratic accountability

In view of the above the Council calls upon the Government to reverse its policies and provide the capital resources it has provided in the past to enable this Borough and others to address the demand for new school places. In furtherance of this aim the Council it will make representations to its Members of Parliament, the Mayor of London, the Local Government Association, London Councils and the Secretary of State for Education.

The Council believes in encouraging schools to collaborate and resolves to strengthen the Havering Schools Education Partnership which continues to provide high quality outcomes for all students in the Borough.

Following debate, the amendment by the Conservative Group was CARRIED by 24 votes to 13 (see division 1) and the amendment by the Labour Group was NOT CARRIED by 30 votes to 14 (see division 2). The amendment by the Conservative Group was AGREED as the substantive motion, without division.

RESOLVED:

This Council noting that the Government’s further plans to reform school and education provision will be considered by Parliament on introduction of the forthcoming Education for All bill welcomes the intention of the Executive to review the proposals coming forward and to make appropriate representations through the LGA and London Councils and to local MPs.

The Council notes further with approval that primary school provision is an integral part of the Beam Park scheme and that progress on this will be reported to members as the matter progresses.