School campaigners to stand in local elections

Campaign group Save Our Schools (SOS) is backing several independent candidates in a bid to halt the closures.

A number of people have put their names forward, and the group is meeting today to select candidates and wards for the May 4 poll.

Leading campaigner Andy Loynes said: "The council has repeatedly refused to take on board the views of the people of Bury, but they cannot ignore our views when we take them to the hustings and on into the council chamber."

SOS members have asked Labour councillors individually whether they agree with the planned closures. Only two have replied, they say, declining to reveal their opinion and saying it was a collective decision by the Labour group.

"We will use our resources to target sitting and prospective councillors who do not state opposition to these ill-conceived proposals," said Mr Loynes. "Ours is a single issue campaign, but it is a huge issue and we do not feel councillors should hide behind the cloak of collective responsibility."

Mr Loynes has a son in Year 7 at The Derby High, which the council has saved while closing Broad Oak, and another child planning to attend the school in September 2008. He says he has no party political affiliation.

The group says that school federations, proposed to minimise the impact on pupils in schools earmarked for closure, have been dealt a fatal blow by negative comments made by the head teachers at Derby and Parrenthorn. It claims that the council's report also fails to deal with questions of community cohesion. The campaign's next step is to lobby the council's ruling executive on March 22 when the closure proposals come back again, following consultation with MPs Graham Stringer and Hazel Blears.

"By pointing out inadequacies and irregularities, our campaign has already been successful in ensuring the executive has had to defer its decision twice," added Mr Loynes. "We are confident we can halt it altogether."