Argyll parents lodge formal complaint about Council decision
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:58 pmInteresting indeed! Surprised no-one from Clachan has been on here banging their drum! Not the ineresting map highglight the proposed school closures below too!
The Argyll Rural Schools Network (ARSN) have lodged a complaint with Argyll & Bute Council’s monitoring officer about the Council’s Spokesperson for Education & Lifelong Learning, Councillor Ellen Morton, taking personal responsibility for the identification of 12 schools for pre-consultation.
Specifically, ARSN are highlighting that the Spokesperson has clearly transgressed into matters of operational management of Council services and is in breach of the Code of Conduct for Councillors. This clearly states that a Councillor’s role is, to ‘determine policy and to participate in decisions on matters placed before you, not to engage in direct operational management of the Council’s services.’
The complaint further stresses that questions raised during the March 3rd Council meeting highlighted that the criteria and evaluation process applied by the Spokesperson were, at that stage, unknown to the majority of Councillors. As such, the Council came to a decision without being provided with sufficiently complete or competent information.
An ARSN Spokesperson commented: “It is quite apparent that the Education Spokesperson has not applied a fair and transparent evaluation process. That she has approached this exercise in an entirely subjective manner, and sidelined council officer involvement, leaves it wide open to accusations of political bias. This is why we have lodged a formal complaint and require the decision reached on the 3rd of March declared invalid.’
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14 March 2011
NOTES FOR EDITORS
ARSN is a network open to all schools in Argyll and Bute. The Network originally formed as a response to Argyll and Bute Council’s 2010 proposals to close 26 primary schools (one third of all primary schools in the area). The Network successfully campaigned to persuade Argyll and Bute Council to abandon the original proposals.
ARSN provides a forum for schools to support each other. The current focus is to fight closure proposals, but the Network also wants to support the long term sustainability of rural communities. ARSN believes that communities are only truly sustainable if there is easy access to primary education so that families can feel confident when they choose to move to rural villages and settlements.
ARSN are calling for:
1: All current plans for school closures to be abandoned except where schools are empty
2: Councillors to adopt a policy of a presumption against closure of schools in Argyll and Bute in line with other rural councils and national policy
3: A moratorium on further school closures to give the Council, politicians and the people of Argyll the space to work together to strengthen communities and retain viable, cost effective schools that underpin community life throughout Argyll
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
E-mail: arsnmedia@gmail.com
Or phone:
Tim McIntyre – 01631 720498
Brian Barker – 07708 461081/01546 886273
Is the school closure a political map???
The Argyll Rural Schools Network (ARSN) have lodged a complaint with Argyll & Bute Council’s monitoring officer about the Council’s Spokesperson for Education & Lifelong Learning, Councillor Ellen Morton, taking personal responsibility for the identification of 12 schools for pre-consultation.
Specifically, ARSN are highlighting that the Spokesperson has clearly transgressed into matters of operational management of Council services and is in breach of the Code of Conduct for Councillors. This clearly states that a Councillor’s role is, to ‘determine policy and to participate in decisions on matters placed before you, not to engage in direct operational management of the Council’s services.’
The complaint further stresses that questions raised during the March 3rd Council meeting highlighted that the criteria and evaluation process applied by the Spokesperson were, at that stage, unknown to the majority of Councillors. As such, the Council came to a decision without being provided with sufficiently complete or competent information.
An ARSN Spokesperson commented: “It is quite apparent that the Education Spokesperson has not applied a fair and transparent evaluation process. That she has approached this exercise in an entirely subjective manner, and sidelined council officer involvement, leaves it wide open to accusations of political bias. This is why we have lodged a formal complaint and require the decision reached on the 3rd of March declared invalid.’
---END---
14 March 2011
NOTES FOR EDITORS
ARSN is a network open to all schools in Argyll and Bute. The Network originally formed as a response to Argyll and Bute Council’s 2010 proposals to close 26 primary schools (one third of all primary schools in the area). The Network successfully campaigned to persuade Argyll and Bute Council to abandon the original proposals.
ARSN provides a forum for schools to support each other. The current focus is to fight closure proposals, but the Network also wants to support the long term sustainability of rural communities. ARSN believes that communities are only truly sustainable if there is easy access to primary education so that families can feel confident when they choose to move to rural villages and settlements.
ARSN are calling for:
1: All current plans for school closures to be abandoned except where schools are empty
2: Councillors to adopt a policy of a presumption against closure of schools in Argyll and Bute in line with other rural councils and national policy
3: A moratorium on further school closures to give the Council, politicians and the people of Argyll the space to work together to strengthen communities and retain viable, cost effective schools that underpin community life throughout Argyll
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
E-mail: arsnmedia@gmail.com
Or phone:
Tim McIntyre – 01631 720498
Brian Barker – 07708 461081/01546 886273
Is the school closure a political map???