Garrison not involved in schools' proposals

12.00.00am GMT Mon 27th Oct 2008

Claims by Essex County Council that Colchester Garrison would form part of a "Colchester Education Trust" in proposals for secondary school re-organisation in the town have been denied by the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces Minister Mr Kevan Jones MP, in a Written Answer to a Parliamentary Question from Colchester MP Bob Russell, has stated emphatically that "there have been no discussions in the last four months between the Ministry of Defence and Essex County Council concerning the future of secondary school education in Colchester."

Today Mr Russell accused Essex County Council of a deliberate deceit, and called on them to withdraw the public consultation launched last week because he said it was clear that the consultation was flawed from day one.

He said: "The period of four months in my Parliamentary Question is critical, because this latest botched proposal has only been cooked up by County Hall after their earlier plans to shut Thomas Lord Audley College and Alderman Blaxill School were abandoned earlier in the summer. I recall that the County Council at the commencement of the previous daft idea had also claimed Garrison involvement, but that turned out to be untrue - and this Parliamentary Answer proves that it is untrue this time as well."

Mr Russell added angrily: "If Essex County Council can be shown to be so dishonest in what it claims is a serious proposal for secondary education in Colchester, how can they be trusted on anything else they are saying?"

The town's Liberal Democrat MP said he had written to the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, the Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, to draw his attention to the false claim in the County Council's consultation proposals.