Letter to the Scunthorpe Telegraph

10.16.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sat 20th Jun 2009

There have been a number of Telegraph articles recently on Building Schools for the Future (91 million) and the rebuilding of John Leggott College (41 Million).

Building new schools and colleges with the latest high IT and green credentials is welcomed and needed where existing buildings have become not fit for purpose.

The sad reality, when all the above work is finally completed, subject to this government honoring its finance promises, there will still be infant children taught in fifty year old wooden huts in North Lincolnshire.

These wooden huts were built as temporary class rooms over fifty years ago. They are unbelievably hot in the summer and are very difficult and inefficient to heat in the winter months. The rotten windows and uneven floors must be seen to be believed. And with cloakrooms no bigger than cupboards it looks more like a scene from Dickens than a school in the 21 century. Children should not have to be taught and staff work in these work house conditions.

I would urge the relevant cabinet member to undertake an urgent independent review of all teaching spaces in North Lincolnshire. He can then challenge is political friends to allocate the budgets to those who are most in need.

Cllr Neil Poole

Liberal Democrat