YEOVIL NEWS: MP slams district council over new primary school delays

YEOVIL MP Marcus Fysh has slammed South Somerset District Council for being a major factor in the delays of the building of two much-needed primary schools in the town.

Somerset County Council gave an update earlier today (Friday, February 12, 2016) on the latest news about the two schools – earmarked for Lufton and Wyndham Park – which have been delayed because of planning and access issues.

It has led to Mr Fysh making a scathing attack on the district council this evening and has urged that the problems are resolved as quickly as possible.

“I am disappointed that Wyndham Park will not be getting its desperately needed community facility yet,” he said. “I see this as a failure of South Somerset District Council to plan the Wyndham Park development properly.

“Had it been done correctly, the land would have been available within the site, including for a site big enough for a full school, especially after the district council had let the developer out of £13 million of its Section 106 development obligations two years ago.”

PHOTO – TOP: Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh is angry about delays over the building of two new much-needed primary schools in the town.

Mr Fysh, who has received new concerns from constituents who are alarmed at the delay in finding adequate school facilities, added: “I always thought the ambition to expand the school site into an area of Primrose Lane, without prior planning permission, was a poor substitute as an idea.

“Even though Somerset County Council had set aside the funds to build as soon as the site became available, I had been concerned that this failure of SSDC to deal with site planning issues was holding up provision of new school places in Yeovil, and it does now appear to have been proved true, putting paid for the time being also to the community facilities.

“This is even more an issue as the Lufton site also appears to have run into problems of delivery. Constituents have been contacting me and this problem needs resolving rapidly.

“When new estates are built basic infrastructure must be provided.”

It had been hoped that both of the new primary schools would be open and ready for children from September this year. But it now seems likely that the school at Wyndham Park will not be operational until 2017 and at Lufton in 2018.

A response from South Somerset District Council is awaited.

It should be noted that despite Mr Fysh winning the Yeovil Constituency seat at last year's General Election for the Conservatives to become MP, he is still - technically - the Somerset County Council representative for the Coker division at County Hall.

Today’s earlier news from Somerset County Council about the planned schools can be found here:  http://www.yeovilpress.co.uk/blog/2016/02/12/yeovil-news-latest-on-two-new-primary-schools-for-the-town/ .

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