Keynsham councillors to battle for Broadlands at crunch meeting

05/07/2010

Conservative councillors representing electoral wards across Keynsham have pledged to join forces at a crunch meeting of B&NES Council’s Cabinet later this month to fight for Broadlands School to be saved from closure.

Councillors representing the town have said they will attend the public Cabinet meeting to argue the case for the Secondary School to remain open. The meeting to decide the future of secondary school provision in the area is taking place following a consultation by the council under its Secondary School review. Broadlands is one of two Secondary Schools in Keynsham, but the council’s review has proposed closing Broadlands and instead retaining an enlarged Wellsway School only.

The rationale behind the option to close Broadlands is based on figures which show that only a quarter of the school’s pupils come from the local area, with most travelling in from south Bristol. With several schools in south Bristol re-opening with new facilities, council officers have warned that pupil numbers at Broadlands could decline.

However, with Government spending being reigned in, the likelihood of receiving funding to build a new Wellsway School has looked increasingly slim and local councillors have argued that Broadlands should be kept open.

Keynsham South councillor Alan Hale (Cons) said:

“Attending the public meetings held to discuss these plans, it has been very clear that local parents and residents firmly want to see Broadlands School kept open. Broadlands has provided a good education for many local people over many years and I have been very happy to support local residents campaigning to save the school from closure.”

Councillor Marie Longstaff (Cons, Keynsham East) added:

“After listening carefully to the arguments both for retaining Broadlands and for having just one school in Keynsham, I believe it is clear that keeping Broadlands open would be in the best interests of local children across Keynsham. It’s important for parents to have a choice of schooling for their children and keeping two schools in Keynsham helps provide this. Now that it appears increasingly clear there will not be Government money available for a rebuilt Wellsway School, I believe the two schools should remain. Along with my fellow Keynsham councillors I will be attending the Cabinet meeting to argue this case.”