Cabinet meeting venue changed

Shropshire County Council is making every effort to ensure as many people as possible can have their say on proposals to close or amalgamate primary schools.

The council’s Cabinet will meet at 10.00am on Wednesday 30 January to discuss a report which recommends consultation to start on the closure of 22 schools and the merging of a further 16. In response to the huge public interest surrounding the report, the meeting has been moved to the Council Chamber from its usual committee room.

Council Leader, Councillor Malcolm Pate, has also proposed a change in the procedure to allow more people to speak at the meeting. Under Cabinet rules, only six public questions are normally allowed to be heard, but Councillor Pate has waived that particular rule to allow a representative from each school named in the report to make a statement. Anyone wishing to do so must contact the council by 5.00pm today (Monday).

Councillor Malcolm Pate said: “There is a strict protocol which we have to abide by during council meetings, but in this case we felt it was important to make changes to allow us to hear from as many people as possible.”

Cabinet member for children’s services, Councillor Ann Hartley, added: “We understand the emotion and strength of feeling around this issue, so we are doing everything we can to accommodate people at the meeting. The Council Chamber is the largest room we have and it will be arranged to allow as much space for people as possible.”

28 January 2008