No MISLEADING from Tories on Amble School project please.....
Let’s be clear on the Amble School being axed by the Tories. Locally we are told they are attempting to justify colleague’s actions by saying it wasn’t ready to be agreed.
Local Tories did NOTHING to try and push the new Tory Administration to continue with the investment committed by the previous Labour Administration.
Below is the timeline of events/work that took place, prior to these formal moments many information discussions and planning had taken place.
Range of site visits took place with NCC’s Architect in January/February 2016
Drawings/sketches provided to the Schools Leadership Team and Chair of Governors in start of Feb 2016, from the County Council’s School Capital Investment Team Architect.
End of March 2016 the County Councils School Investment Team commissioned electronic sketches to be looked at and used for publicity.
24th of March the Director of Children’s Services & then Deputy Chief Executive asks the Education Director to crack on with the Businesses Case, Cllr Dickinson copied in to that email making the request.
Start of June 16 official drawings provided based on all the site visits with the Architects.
Middle of June 2016 the School received the education brief that the Leadership Team needed to complete.
August 2016 Holidays Senior Team meeting where visuals and education brief discussed with school staff. Education brief shared with School Leadership team with examples provided from NCC from other schools that had been completed.
Work with Architects, Capital Team and School continues during September, October & November 2016.
February 2017 NCC Communication Team release information on all the next schools going to committee for approval. JCSC being one of them, Cllr Dickinson and Arckless asked for Comment.
November School Leadership Team complete the Education Brief to support the information.
February 2017 all project work from school side complete and Capital meeting held with Architects, School Leadership and Cllr Dickinson NCC’s Business Chair.
February 2017 Confirmation from Capital Schools Manager that March will be the date the finalised work will be presented to Capital Works Committee for recommendations.
April 2017 Capital Works Committee make recommendation for approval of the scheme.
May ELECTION happens and Conservatives win control
July 2017 Conservative Cabinet VOTE DOWN the School proposal.
Proposals removed from the Capital Investment
Bearing in mind that many months of informal discussions and planning had taken place, with the first announcement of the ambition to secure this investment back in 2014 which was reported by the Northumberland Gazette at the time.
Scott Dickinson Druridge Bay Councillor and former Business Chair at NCC said: "it's disingenuous and totally misleading not to accept that the Tories stopped the investment in Amble those are just the facts. In fact, I'd go as far to say, suggesting anything else would be a complete LIE. Amble Tories can say what they like to try and wriggle out of it but the facts speak for themselves."
"It's true to say Ponteland and Morpeth both have commitments of new schools for their areas which is brilliant for the students and families."
"My question would be why pull the Amble scheme? Do the children of Amble, Hadston, Widdrington and surrounding areas not matter as much as Morpeth and Ponteland?"
"Why plough on with public commitment to some schemes and not others, did the Amble Tory not press his team for the same commitments Ponteland and Morpeth got ?"
"It's a crying shame for the JCSC staff, children and families, it was potentially a once in a lifetime opportunity."
" I'm also disgusted that the JCSC Leadership team found out by reading the paper. Shame on the Tory Cabinet I hope all our areas remember this decision for a long time."
Early drawings below from some of the initial site meetings with Architects.
