Normal bureaucratic service is resumed

After a bit of a low day yesterday, normal service appears to be resumed. I've spent the day being annoyed by my computer, which seems to want to block my AOL connection, and delivering our latest leaflet in East Dulwich.

One of the big issues in the area is the ongoing saga of the new federated academy school, whose boys section (the existing school is for girls only) was originally intended to open next Autumn in temporary premises pending the construction of new buildings to be opened in Autumn 2009.

Whilst the academy structure is less than ideal, the pragmatic stance is to focus on what is best for the children and parents of this part of Southwark, and so our gallant Council Group have pushed hard to get a new secondary school for the East Dulwich and Peckham Rye area.

But recently, it seemed that barriers were being placed in the way of the project. The temporary site decided upon was apparently less than ideal, although it was never quite clear who thought so. The local police deny objecting on security grounds, the Department of Education and Skills deny that finance is an issue, and our non-resident MP indicates from her Kentish Town (that's north of the river, in Camden) home that she is keen for the project to progress.

So, the administration looked for other venues, met with the minister, Lord Adonis, to attempt to break the logjam and generally encouraged progress. There is no doubt that a new school is needed, and the sooner the better.

Alas, politics reared its ugly head. The Labour Party's desperate attempts to discredit local Liberal Democrats has led them to pull the plug on the project, and attempt to blame us for its failure. This is despite the planned temporary site being approved by the Academy Project Board and the Government, despite provision of a dedicated planning consultant. Claims that a risk assessment showed the site to be unsafe ran counter to the Borough Commander's advice that no such assessment had been made or cleared by the police chain of command.

Best of all, they claim that the decision was taken by the Project Board. Curiously, whilst that meeting was taking place, the Minister called our Group Leader to tell him that the decision to pull the plug had been taken. Anyone would think that voting in Liberal Democrat councillors was an excuse for Labour ministers to shaft the 'offending' residents... but politics is about making lives better, not hanging on to power for the sake of it, isn't it?