News Release

16th March 2006

CHASE TERRACE TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE AND EDUCATION BILL

Last night, Michael Fabricant voted for the Government's education Bill "and it was thinking of Chase Terrace Technology College that persuaded me" he says. The Bill, promoted by Tony Blair and Education Secretary Ruth Kelly, has been dubbed a 'Tory Bill' because it needed Conservative votes to get it through the Commons as so many Labour MPs rebelled against it.

Michael Fabricant was appalled when he recently visited the College in his Lichfield and Burntwood constituency and saw that behind the modern buildings with the latest I.T. equipment there lurked decrepit sports and fitness facilities.

"Following meetings and correspondence I have had with Heather Bowman, the headteacher, it is clear that spanking new sports and fitness facilities could be constructed to match the rest of the building. The College has saved sufficient reserves and has enough annual income that they could take out a long term loan - and have cash to spare - to pay for the construction of the new facilities. But Stafford is preventing them from doing so.

"I have long argued that schools should be given full independence so they can decide how to spend their resources and that they should be funded directly from London to stop the anomaly where Staffordshire schools receive less per pupil than other counties. The Government's new Education and Inspections Bill goes a long way, though not all the way, to achieve this. It is only Old Labour MPs who demand centralised control who oppose the Bill" he adds.