Overview & Scrutiny committee to view Springhill decision

Reporter: Jan Harwood
Date online: 15 June 2007

The decision by the council’s special cabinet to host a new school at Springhill by 2013, which will join the current schools at Balderstone and Springhill, will come in front of the overview and scrutiny committee in a meeting next Wednesday, 20 June. The committee can make the final decision but it is expected that the cabinet’s decision will be maintained and that the Springhill site, as opposed to the alternative at Balderstone, will win-out.

Rochdale Council Schools Executive Terry Piggott said: "I believe this original decision received a large amount of scrutiny and the decision will be referred to the scrutiny committee meeting next Wednesday as a matter of course. You could say that a final, final decision will be made then. However, it may well be that the decision is already final and that it may not need to be considered in the meeting.

"This is the final piece in the jigsaw for the Building Schools for the future project and it allows the whole scheme to move forward."

Councillor Allen Brett who, as well as being leader of the Rochdale Labour Party, is a ward councillor for Balderstone and Kirkholt and a governor at Balderstone Technology College. He said: "I shall be attending the overview and scrutiny committee meeting next Wednesday and will listen to all of the evidence before making my own final judgement. I believe the final, final judgement over which site is chosen will come at this meeting next week."

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