Matthew OCallaghan's blog
Melton will no longer be forced to take extra housing. New Government proposals will mean that top down housing targets should be abolished. Newport Councillor Matthew O'Callaghan said "I am sure there are residents between Melton Spinney Road and Scalford Road who will welcome this change in policy as Melton Borough Council decided to place the 1000 new houses between these two road which no doubt would have significantly expanded in future years." |
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A bypass for Melton is now almost an impossibility given the cuts in Government spending on transport schemes. Chairman of Detour the Melton Bypass Action Group Matthew O'Callaghan said: "Leicestershire County Council missed out on funding a couple of years ago when the Government reimbursed the East Midlands Region for half the cost of the Scheme to the tune of some £180m. David Parsons chair of the region said the Melton Bypass was his first priority but refused to allocate any money towards the scheme which would have only costs about £25m. In response to a petition on the PM's website the Government was favourable to a Melton Bypass and asked the County to come forward with proposals which they never did. It looks as if county stalling has lost Melton its bypass for a generation." |
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Comment from Parents at King Edward VII Melton on Facebook about arrangements for the transfer of their children in the fortnight after the Cabinet Decision of March 9th.
It is causing stress, confusion and worry for a lot more than just years 7 and 8 pupils and pupils. They need to answer questions about the mess they have created.
I didn't realise I could feel such anger and despair |
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Now that the Cabinet at the County Council has made it's decision to close King Edward VII in Melton, pupils, parents and staff at KE7 and the other schools are left to pick up the pieces. The decision for closure included two elements of implementation, the phased closure of KE7 and the expansion of the other schools. This reorganisation hasn't however gone according to plan..... |
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What a difference having a Labour MP and County Councilor Makes: Having messed up the reorganisation of secondary schools in Melton with the closure of King Edward VII, the county Tories have now screwed the bid for Loughborough. Of course the county Tories will try to blame the Labour Government for their mistakes, but this bid was appallingly handled for a party that claims to want to be decentralised, but tried to impose a solution on the Loughborough schools against the wishes of a substantial number of parents. Get all the schools in Loughborough round a table with the parents and ask them how they would remove the surplus places and plan the reform. The Labour Government has said money is available, its up to the County Council to find consensus and work on a bid that will deliver high quality secondary education without dividing the community.
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In an age where politicians are distrusted as being out for what they can get, remote from their constituents and enslaved to their party machines, David Taylor is an example to all of what an MP should be like. Hard working, conscientious, loyal to his constituents and independent minded, David Taylor put those who he represented first and gave them the best of what he had to give.
The Tories would have you believe that Government debt is the worst ever and that we are in a far worse position than all our major competitors. The truth is that Government debt was at its highest in 1997, 44.2% of GDP, an inheritance left by the Tories for Labour to sort out. Labour steadily repaid our debt (fixing the roof when the sun |
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County Tories have given up on a Melton Bypass. Other County bypasses have been Government funded. They have ignored a request from the Government for a business case for the Melton Bypass and instead decided that funding should be largely from local developer contributions, highly unlikely given the current recession. |
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Tories split on councillor expenses - Backbench Tory rebels to retain their expenses |
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Uncertainty surrounds King Edward VII school in Melton following the sudden resignation of the interim head, Graham Horsewood. The suggestion has been made that his departure follows an unsuccessful marketing bid at feeder schools to Wreake Valley College which was described as 'overly aggressive'. This is the second head to leave this year following the departure of Chris Williams. It is understood that County Hall are now urgently recruiting yet another head. |
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Next year the County Tories are planning the lowest council tax rise ever - by coincidence just before the May 2009 County Council elections. |
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