COUNCILLORS DEMAND AN APOLOGY FOR U-TURN 'HELL'

30 November 2005

Pupils, parents and staff at Bishop Gore and Dylan Thomas schools deserve apologies after their U-turn "hell" over merger plans. That is the view of Labour councillors responding to news of the surprise decision to drop plans to close Dylan Thomas and transfer its pupils to Bishop Gore.

Labour leader David Phillips said he was delighted by the news and described the U-turn as a substantial victory for parent and pupil power.

But he said the Labour group had never been convinced by the reasons behind the move.

He said: "The figures used to justify closing Dylan Thomas School have never stacked up from the outset.

"It's a pity that the ruling regime has taken so long to come to the same conclusion.

"Chris Holley and his cabinet now owe the staff, pupils and parents of Dylan Thomas an apology for putting them through unnecessary hell."