We, Sep 7, 2005Sub-Committee will interview the Mayor and the top officers of LBL
On Monday 5th September the Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee on Ladywell met for the first of their enquiring sessions.The Sub-Committee is chaired by Cllr Barrie Anderson. The other members are Cllr Liam Carlisle, Cllr Julia Fletcher, Cllr Helen Klier, Cllr Helen Le Fevre, Cllr Madeleine Long, Cllr Paul Maslin, Cllr Terry Scott, Cllr Alan Smith. At this first meeting was present also a representative of the diocese. Absent only Cllr Carlisle.
They all had received the report on the background of the New School project that the Executive Director for Children and Young People Frankie Sulke had produced for them. And this had produced only disquiet.
A need to investigate the quality of the advice given to the Mayor and the way decisions had been taken quickly emerged and a structure for fruitful committee work was therefore decided.
The committee will therefore meet again for at least three more sessions.
Each meeting will see different people being interviewed by the sub-committee.
The first to appear will be the top officers of the Directorate for Children Frankie Sulke and Steve Gough.
Then it will be the head of the BSF program in Lewisham Tony Freeman and some still to be identified representative of Partnership for Schools.
Last to be interviewed will be the Mayor of Lewisham Steve Bullock and the Cabinet member for Education Kathy Donnelly.
The panel will possibly want to hear more even from the Chief Executive of Lewisham Council Barry Quirk CBE. He addressed the panel at this first meeting and gave a useful overview of who did what during the course of the project.
At the end of this first meeting the Chair of the Panel Cllr Barrie Anderson allowed a member of the public to address the sub-committee.
Her face wasn't new to anybody in the room as it was none other then our very own Mary Paul, one of the sharpest campaigners in Lewisham.
In a nutshell she gave the panel an overview of why the Council plans where doomed from start and why there is therefore much to answer and responsibilities to be identified.
You can dawnload the pdf of Mary's analysis of some of the mistakes done by Lewisham Council in their funding applications in this pdf entitled The Idiots Guide to Building Schools for the Future (164 Kb).
Unease was also expressed about Lewisham Council putting forward the Ladywell Leisure Centre as the site for the new school knowing that it would have greatly damaged sport and active recreation in Lewisham.
We look forward to see also this important aspect of the issue discussed in depth.
Incidentally among those that will be interviewed some also are, or were at the time of the key decisions, in charge not only of the school programs of Lewisham, but also of our sport and leisure centres. ...read more...