School protest sparks security alert - "its ridiculous - we're not terrorists"

Written by Sean Boyle and published in Derbyshire Times on Thu 9th Nov 2006

Anti-school closure campaigners who bombarded authority chiefs with over 9000 protest letters have blasted leaders for refusing to open them over "security fears".

Determined residents have rallied massive support to fight County Council plans to close Stoney Middleton CE Primary School in a controversial cost-cutting move.

Despite the school only having 21 pupils and the village having just 200 homes, campaigners sent 9000 protest letters to the authority's Matlock headquarters - each of the authority's 64 county councillors receiving 150 individually-written complaints.

The letters were supposed to be opened before a full council meeting last Wednesday but, because they were hand-delivered, leaders at the County Council refused to open them until eight days later when they were satisfied they were safe.

Mum-of-two Dulcie Jones, chairman of the school's Friends' Parents and Teachers Association said: It's ridiculous - we're not terrorists."

"We delivered the letters last Monday so that they would be opened ahead of a full council meeting last Wednesday but they weren't opened until Tuesday - meaning our views were not heard."

Cllr Alan Charles, Derbyshire County Council education chief, defended the move, saying: "It's not me or other elected members who open the mail, it's staff."

"We have got a protest group here that sent 9000 letters that had been hand-delivered and have not been through any Royal Mail screening process. We have to take sensible precautions."

Over 200 villagers packed a public meeting, chaired by Cllr Charles, at the school on Thursday.

The authority claims educating each pupil cost £5,600 per year at Stoney Middleton - compared to a county-wide average of £2,990 - and wants them to go to Curbar Primary, one-and-a-half-miles away.

Cllr Charles added: "The cash is not ours - it belongs to every school in Derbyshire and we have to have strategic funding in place."

"There are only four children of infant age. Education is not just about lessons - particularly at that age. It's also about social interaction and our view is that we can't provide that."

Parents have vowed to fight the closure threat until the bitter end - saying it will be dangerous for kids to walk along the busy A623 to Curbar.

Mrs Jones added: "The county council is trying to push through the closure very hastily. The village made it very clear that we do not want this closure. We are very happy indeed with the school and will fight all the way."

Consultations on proposals proposals closes on November 27.