ON March 5, I put a motion to the council to put on record its congratulations to the community in Atherton who through their tenacity have achieved what at one point seemed the impossible.

A fantastic new community high school and now the icing on the cake, an inspirational sixth form college named ‘the Robert Buckley Sixth Form Centre’.

I called upon the chief executive to formally congratulate ‘Chapel Street’ who made it all possible, the teachers and governors of the community school, but mainly the people of Atherton for all the support they have given to this project.

To wind up I then went on to say: “Thank goodness the Labour Party didn’t win the 2010 General Election.

“If they had we’d have been lumbered with the ill-conceived Building Schools for the Future programme together with the consequential PFI Debt.

“Atherton wouldn’t have its community high school or sixth form college.”

The free school is now at the heart of the community and is involved with the vast majority of community projects, as its pupils need to demonstrate their commitment to the community as part of their graduation.

This school must have been a godsend to Wigan Council as even with the free school an additional 60 high school places will be required in the east of the borough from 2016/17 – a figure which doesn’t even take into account the projected 2,000 houses in North Leigh, 240 houses at Gibfield and the 600 houses at Garrett Hall.

Wigan’s answer is to ship the pupils out to other areas.

What a waste of time for the pupils who would need to travel to these areas.

What’s needed is another community free school in the east of the borough to absorb the future increased demand.

The motion was defeated as expected with all our local Labour councillors voting against it. You know now how to vote – vote WIN on May 22.

CLR NORMAN BRADBURY
Atherton