The Hereford Times

MP's pledge in Ross

5:15pm Thursday 7th February 2008

HEREFORD'S MP has lent his support to school protesters in Ross-on-Wye.

Paul Keetch met parents from St Joseph's RC Primary School last week to discuss concerns over the proposed closures.

The meeting followed the withdrawal of the council's plans to merge or close 37 schools in the county.

The group attended the MP's surgery in Ross library and stressed St Joseph's was a popular and successful school and the only RC primary in the county south of Hereford.

Parent Gareth Williams said: "We expressed concern that government policy requires councils to close 5% of schools before money can be released to build new ones, and create a bias in favour of larger schools over smaller ones that might be performing better."

Mr Keetch was sympathetic to the need to retain faith schools in Herefordshire, adding any proposals should be based on up-to-date population data and reviewed by an independent body.