Funding Withheld

We understand that the date for signing off the funding agreement for Furness Academy has been postponed until the 31^st of August by Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.

The Evening Mail reported of a legal challenge to the signing and that it will not be signed before the end of May. We now understand that this signing has been put off until the end of August by the Minister and it will NOT be signed before this date but surprise surprise nothing in the Mail.

What does this mean? To be honest we really do not know. It would appear that everything hangs in the balance. Until that agreement is signed the Academy will not exist! The whole situation is an absolute mess at the moment, this joke needs to be sorted out straight away. Either delay the thing for at least 12 months (24 preferably), cancel it or pass it off. We cannot have this thing hanging in the balance until 2 days before it opens and expect our children to excel. Where the hell is John Hutton? What has he got to say about it? The last comments we had from him were meaningless drivel, probably too busy living the high life on his expense account to actually bother about his constituency.  

He is supposed to be the voice of the people in this town. What has he actually done to get involved? The one time he did get involved, in order to try to cover his back and save his seat, was when he diverted public attention away from IF we should have an Academy to SHOULD we put the Academy on two sites or one!

We all know that at the time the argument was that the County Council wanted the Academy (on one site) so they could sell the Thorncliffe site to developers to cover the costs of the debt over the £30 Million or so they owe in compensation over the wages mismatch, paying men less than women. Hutton put his hat in the ring and offered two sites as an option to quell the fears. Since then we know there will be two sites until the new buildings appear, but no final decision is really known as to whether the new build will be on one or two sites.

Are you still following? As it turns out most people think that a two site Academy is a silly idea due the logistics of it and have since changed their minds. So in essence all Hutton has done is to convince people to go along with the original idea that eveyone hated, yet convince them that that is what they wanted! 

Our advice is to  go out and vote this time around for whoever you feel deserves your vote. As things stand none of the people elected to represent you are listening to you the people who elected them!! Be it local, county or national the elected representatives have failed us. Get the leeches out and proper representatives in!! For once we think your vote really does count!!