Letter from Chris Hinchliff – Schools under threat

Dear Great Munden,

Our village schools are under threat from the County Council.

Two things you can do this week to help protect them:

1. Join an urgent campaign meeting about the future of our village schools at Freman College in Buntingford on Friday the 6th February any time between 17:30 – 20:00.

2. Sign the open letter to the leader of Hertfordshire County Council calling on him to stop the proposed closure of Albury Primary School and to protect our other rural schools.

Last week the Liberal Democrat Cabinet Member for Education on Hertfordshire County Council used his casting vote at a key meeting to recommend the closure of the much-loved Albury Primary School.

This was despite Albury Primary School having stable pupil numbers until the County Council announced their plans, a ‘Good’ Ofsted report, and the support of 96% of responses to the Council’s own consultation.

This sets a terrible precedent for rural education across North East Hertfordshire. We have many brilliant village schools here and the implication of this decision raises serious questions about the Liberal Democrats’ commitment to their future.

In just over a week, the Herts County Council Cabinet meets to decide whether to push ahead with closing Albury Primary School once and for all. If we want a thriving future for village schools as part of our rural communities, we need to take action now.

So, I am asking you to join me for a crucial meeting at Freman College in Buntingford on Friday 6th February from 17:30-20:00 to plan the fightback.

We need to mobilise people in communities across North East Hertfordshire to show the Lib Dems how much we love our village schools, and we can only do it with your help. So please, come by our meeting on Friday the 6th February to find out how to get involved.

If you aren’t able to attend but want to lend a hand please let me know by emailing . You can also sign my open letter to the Leader of Herts County Council, Steve Jarvis, to urge him to do the right thing and back Albury Primary School, just as he recently did for Sandon school in his own patch.

Sign the open letter at www.villageschools.co.uk.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Hinchliff MP
Member of Parliament for North East Hertfordshire