Campaigners attack council consultation

CAMPAIGNERS battling to save several primary schools across the west end have attacked the city council's consultation process. The Save Our Schools (SOS) campaign have claimed that Glasgow City Council have failed to consult local residents and parents with children not old enough to attend schools, who will be affected by the closure of the schools.

SOS spokesperson Andy Harvey said: "The consultation is supposed to be genuine, comprehen-sive and inclusive. However, only parents who presently have children at the concerned schools have received consultation packs, and even some of those parents are still waiting.

Mr Harvey went to say that the plans for the closure of the schools, which will be amalgamated into one "super-sized school", would increase class sizes and "rip the hearts out of local communities." Schools that are set to merge into a proposed single primary and nursery on a gap-site at the corner of Otago Street and Gibson Street, are Dowanhill, Kelvinhaugh, Billhead, Willowbank primary alongside two nurseries.

A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council stated: "we welcome the views expressed of any interested parties." They went on to state that the consultation process for the amalgamation of the schools had been widely publicised through widespread newspaper and media coverage while the phase four ol school merger consultations are also available foi viewing on the council's official website along with a list of public meetings. A bus was also supplied to take any concerned parents to view a newly built school in another area of the city, which was according to the council, "by no means full."

Cllr for Partick, Aileen Colleran said: "One look at a consultation form shows the range of people the council recognises as having an interest - with categories including residents, staff, friends, as well as parents. "Forms are made available, can be downloaded from the web, and officers have said in meetings the forms aren't essential to make views known - an email or letter is fine, just as long as it's in writing." Cllr Colleran went to point out posting a form to every parent and resident in each area was impractical. She also stated that there was no indication that the school sites would be sold off to private housing developers. She added that she felt that the proposals were widely known from the number of members of the public who have shown at the meetings who were not parents.

Hillhead Cllr, Niall Walker stated: "Although there were a number of public meetings I felt that the Education Dept was short on details when it came to the many questions they were asked. "I don't think they have properly thought through the implications for traffic. "They also haven't chosen an ideal site. Gibson St is a very busy street and I don't see how it could deal with more traffic that the school would cause." source: West end news