St Albans Liberal Democrats to Campaign for New Primary School

12.00.00am GMT Tue 26th Dec 2006

Following the shock announcement of the emergency need to construct three temporary classrooms to accommodate the demand for primary school places in St Albans, local Liberal Democrats will start 2007 by campaigning for a whole new primary school.

Parliamentary Candidate Sandy Walkington said today:

"It has been clear for years that a new primary school is needed somewhere in the city. The Tory solution of temporary classrooms on existing sites is only sticking plaster. It won't even work in 2008, as the brothers and sisters of this year's entry come through the system, let alone the demands created by the pressure of yet further development.

"Local Lib Dem county councillors have been warning Hertfordshire County Council for over a decade that they were getting their calculations wrong. This is just another example of the stresses being caused by over-development of Hertfordshire and particularly St Albans.

"We have to make sure our children do not lose out because there are arithmetical dunces at County Hall. The county council needs to come up with a practical and cost effective solution, and fast."

Lib Dem Education spokesperson and local councillor Rob Prowse added: "The County Council will have to get its skates on if it is to find a site and get a school in place by September 2008. We have to get an early signal from the Tories that they understand the gravity of the situation and that they are taking it seriously."

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Sandy Walkington 860896 or mobile 07802 177317

Chris White 845300

Rob Prowse 827258