Court risk to schools shake-up
Stoke-on-Trent City Council's cabinet had been asked to reconsider proposals to merge Mitchell High School and Edensor High School under the £250 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) strategy.
But yesterday it rejected a recommendation by scrutiny councillors to temporarily put the scheme on hold.
City Independent councillor John Davis, pictured, warned: "A judicial review will be pursued, with whatever delays that creates."
The authority has previously said it wants to build a replacement school on a new site, either on land at Parkhall, in Weston Coyney, or on an open space named Springfield, off Anchor Road in Adderley Green.
But Mitchell High supporters claim both sites would be unsuitable for children to walk to.
They have suggested an alternative merger with Berry Hill High School at a new community school on the current Mitchell site.
The proposal led to the cabinet's decision to publish closure notices for the schools being called in.
The Children and Young People's Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which discussed the issue on Tuesday, backed halting the closures until Mitchell High's future had been fully discussed.
Scrutiny committee chairman Councillor Michael Coleman told yesterday's cabinet meeting that members felt the BSF plans would deprive the city's most densely populated area of any high schools, and force children in Bentilee to walk unreasonable distances to school.
He said: "We heard evidence that this proposal would create a huge void in the area of Berryhill, Townsend and Bentilee."
Councillor Davis claimed the cabinet had downplayed the level of support for the Mitchell High proposal. He pointed out Stoke-on-Trent MP Mark Fisher backed it.
He said: "He has been assured by various ministers that this would not put at risk the funding package for our BSF programme.
"If this goes ahead then the city's central constituency will have just two high schools – a situation that doesn't exist in any other constituency in this country."
But cabinet members felt there was no point in further delaying the BSF strategy. Cabinet member for children and young people's services, Councillor Ian Mitchell, said: "I am fearful of what will happen if we don't get this job moving, because it has been stuck since 2003. If they want to take us to a judicial review then so be it."
Formally rejecting the scrutiny panel's recommendation, council leader Ross Irving said: "I can understand the opposition of some individuals, but I have had conversations at the highest level, and if we don't pass this then we are at risk."
More stories from the schools reorganisation:
Allegations of petition being ignored
Schools scheme finally wins through
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