Free School Site Proposal On School Playing Field Land In Brighton And Hove

EDM number 68 in 2013-14, proposed by Caroline Lucas on 13/05/2013.
Categorised under the topics of Schools and Sports.

That this House is opposed to the proposal by the Secretary of State for Education to concrete over a significant section of a playing field used by Cardinal Newman Catholic School, Brighton, Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College and Stanford Junior and Infant Schools, to provide a site for a new free school; notes that the playing fields are used daily by the schools and local community; also notes the schools' joint statement that the plan would severely impair the institutions' provision for sports and permanently remove a vital green space in the heart of a densely populated city; further notes that removing this field would leave the infant and junior schools with only a concrete playground; believes that this plan flies in the face of the UK's Olympic legacy; further notes the village green application pending on this site; regrets the appalling lack of communication with the four schools from the Education Funding Agency; backs the Notice of Motion passed by Brighton and Hove City Council opposing the imposition of new school sites by central Government; applauds the strong local resistance to this proposal which rides roughshod over the community's wishes; and calls on the Secretary of State to withdraw it immediately.

This motion has been signed by a total of 8 MPs.