Information Bulletin
06 September 2004
Statement from Cllr Bill Manson
In the course of consultation about possible school closures, meetings were held on Thursday with the school staff and then with the parents and public of Cullivoe. During both meetings, representatives of the Council's working group were presented with pertinent, well-made, and forcefully put points to reinforce Cullivoe's belief that the school should remain open. The coherent and passionately expressed views made a real impact.
During the public meeting, however, a sporadic series of allegations were made of breaches of council instructions, "backed up" by limited extracts from various council documents. Any reports that such allegations were "admitted" are wrong.
It will be a pity if the effect of an important meeting with real bearing on the future of the school is diluted by any attempt to engineer confrontation over procedural issues which can, if wrong, be fairly simply put right. What really matters is the substantial body of evidence and views being gathered around the continuation of otherwise of the Cullivoe school, and that is what we should concentrate upon.
Bill Manson
Spokesperson for Education Children and Young People