Letter for publication: Avanti School
The Conservative Hendon MP may have gained a little publicity by presenting a petition against Avanti School’s plans to build a huge new free school on the Broadfields site, but his hand wringing might have carried more weight if he had stood up to oppose, or at the very least criticise, the details of the Conservative led Coalition Government’s chaotic free schools programme in the first place, rather than meekly going along with it, lock stock and barrel .
Not only does Education Secretary Michael Gove MP give the promoters of free schools the go ahead with funding before they have even identified a site to put their school on, his and the Conservative MP’s Government has now watered down the planning laws that apply to everyone else, so as to favour free schools over the interests of local people. As the Leader of the Council Cllr Cornelius recently wrote to me, “ the final say will not rest with Barnet”.
As of 1st June, free schools are not subject to the same strict planning regime and controls as are other developments, with very relaxed rules making local opposition to unsuitable free school developments much harder. This is even more so for temporary sites, and I see that the Conservative MP has not had much if anything to say about the Avanti plans to build a temporary school of 10 portacabins financed by his Government on the equally unsuitable site at the Fairway.
It seems that contrary to his Government’s originally expressed policy intention, free schools don’t even have to serve local children, either, as Avanti, which mainly carers for Harrow children, demonstrates. So much for the oft trumpeted “localism” agenda!
