Campaigns

Below is a summary of the successful campaign to not only deliver the brand new Primary School in Oakhurst, but also to make sure it was a community school.

Oakhurst School – Victory!!!

The new school for Oakhurst known as PS7 needs to open as quickly as possible. Local children in this fast-growing area need access to a local school.

Alas, the Government wouldn't let Swindon Borough Council open PS7 until other organisations had been allowed to bid to run the school. Highly-paid consultants were drafted in to encourage the process. The two bids were:

Bid 1 – Swindon Borough Council

We were 100% in favour of this bid. As with all schools in the local area, it will allow the maximum number of local children to have access to the school, as the admissions policy is linked directly to distance from the school.

Bid 2 – Faith School

We were 100% opposed to this bid. Their admissions policy will be linked to faith, rather than distance from school. This will potentially leave local children unable to access this much-needed new school.

We led the campaign to support the Swindon Borough Council Community School bid. Local residents rallied around, flooding the School Adjudicator with positive feedback and attending the public meeting in huge numbers. Thankfully on February 6th 2009, the School Adjudicator confirmed we had been successful.

An archive of the campaign news stories can be seen below:

• 29/06/09 - Cllr Tomlinson Cuts The Sod As Work Begins!
• 06/02/09 - PS7 Campaign VICTORY!!!
• 03/02/09 - PS7 Primary School Update
• 17/12/08 - PS7 (Oakhurst School) Campaign Update 4
• 28/11/08 - Oakhurst (PS7) Public Meeting
• 24/11/08 - PS7 Campaign Update 3
• 17/11/08 - PS7 Campaign Update 2
• 11/11/08 - PS7 School Bids - PUBLIC MEETING

As your Conservative Councillors we will always stand up when it matters - in stark contrast to the failing Labour politicians.

I have led this campaign from the front. For the benefit of the confused Labour MP, this included organising the 500+ letters of feedback, making sure the public meeting was packed and we had a co-ordinated series of questions, attending the private meetings and making sure all local residents were kept informed. Perhaps if Labour had bothered to take an interest they would have seen this. Even the two Labour Councillors sent to the public meeting refused to support our campaign. Roll on the General Election hey?!

Lets consider the facts:

1 - Conservatives asked for the competition process to be cancelled, Labour ignored this.

2 - Conservatives asked for the Faith School bid to be withdrawn, Labour did not.

3 - Conservative Councillors supported the Swindon Borough Council bid, the two Labour Councillors present at the public meeting refused to do so.

4 - Conservative Councillors helped pack the public meeting, provided notes and spoke. The Labour MP did not attend.

5 - Conservatives organised 500 letters of feedback to be passed onto the School Adjudicator.

6 - Conservatives kept local residents informed through leaflets and e-newsletters.