Liam Byrne, MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, today wrote to Tony Howells, Head of Birmingham City Education service calling for action to tackle massive waiting lists for school places in some parts of Hodge Hill constituency. The call follows research carried out by Liam, which shows that the system is in chaos.

Liam has found out that Birmingham City Council did not hold any data relating to the number of pupils on waiting lists for schools in the constituency last year. To find this information Liam had to write to every school in the constituency asking for the numbers of children on their waiting lists.

Responses received so far show that there are huge waiting lists in Washwood Heath, significant waiting lists in Hodge Hill, and a surplus of places in Shard End (see attached briefing for full breakdown).

Liam’s study also found that poor communication between departments of the Lib Dem/Tory council led to one school in Shard End running a budget deficit. This was due to Birmingham City Council’s housing department failing to give the school prior warning that local tower blocks were due to be cleared. This meant that budget plans had to be scrapped half way through the school term.

The results of Liam’s investigation follows news that education chiefs at the Lib Dem/Tory council bungled a new bid to secure millions of pounds in extra money to spend on schools in the city. While 3 other education authorities across the West Midlands have secured £77 million funding from central Government, Birmingham failed to win any new money.

Liam is now calling on Birmingham City Council to use the Government’s Building Schools for the Future programme to address the problems in Washwood Heath and Hodge Hill, and build new schools at the heart of those communities.

Liam said

‘These findings show that the Lib Dem/Tory council have no idea what’s going on in our schools. How can they plan for the future when they don’t know the needs of today’.

‘It is this Government’s, and my view that schools should be at the heart of our communities. If we are going to give our kids things to do outside of school hours, we need to have schools within our communities that local kids can feel a part of. Sending children to schools two bus rides is not the way to do this’.

‘At the first Hodge Hill Youth Conference earlier this year, I asked attendees first whether they would like to do more activities in school after hours, and second, what was the biggest obstacle to this happening. Over two thirds of kids said that they would like to see more activities within their school, while 75% or people said that distance from facilities is a problem for them. So the appetite is there, it is our job to satisfy that hunger.’

‘It’s time Lib Dem/Tory council pulled it’s finger out and use the Building Schools for the Future programmes to build new schools in our communities so that they can become a focal point for people, young and old. Such investment would make a massive impact in our community, not least on future generations in Hodge Hill’.

ENDS

Editor’s Notes

1. Liam has also submitted his findings to the Birmingham City Council Scrutiny Review of School Admission procedures, which will report back in April 2006.
2. The Hodge Hill Youth Conference report can be downloaded from www.liambyrne.co.uk.
3. Liam is looking to run youth conferences around the community in the coming year.