Councillor 'instructed' to miss school closure meeting quits

A COUNCILLOR who has spent years fighting to save his local school has resigned from the education committee after being "instructed" not to attend a meeting on the next round of proposed closures.

SNP councillor Mike Bridgman was told by his party that they would send a substitute to yesterday's education committee, which was meeting especially to discuss proposals to close Lismore, Bonnington and Westburn primaries, due to his "affinity" with Lismore.

Cllr Bridgman, who attended the Bingham school and was an active campaigner throughout previous attempts to close it, has now decided to stand down from the committee permanently as he disagrees with the closure plans.

Meanwhile, members of the education committee agreed to put the proposals to shut the schools out to public consultation, with the six-week process set to begin on August 25.

The proposals recommend that Bonnington and Lismore close for good at the Christmas holidays. Westburn is recommended to stay open until August next year.

Parents from Lismore made their case to councillors for keeping their school open at yesterday's meeting and are confident that they will win their fight.

Gail Ross, of the Lismore Parents Action Group, said she was disgusted that Cllr Bridgman, her own local councillor, was "gagged" by not being able to attend the meeting. She added: "If Mike Bridgman feels that strongly for saving Lismore that he has resigned I think it has to be commended."

Cllr Bridgman said he was tied by the SNP group's decision to back the proposals. He said: "I lobbied my group as much as I could and unfortunately the group decided that they had to take the stance that they had to take. The group felt it would be best that I didn't attend the meeting today and I abide by my group's decision. Because I feel strongly I tendered my resignation from the education, children and families committee. I felt I couldn't go on being a member. I have an affinity with the school and I have tried my best within my group and with other councillors and that's all I can do."

SNP group leader Steve Cardownie said: "Mike Bridgman was hugely involved in the campaign to save Lismore before he became a councillor and the group decision was to go ahead with the consultation and we felt we didn't want to put him in that position.

"If Mike had gone along he would have been obliged to have gone with the party's decision."

The consultation process outcome will be presented to a cross-party forum set up to look at school closures in the autumn. A final decision will be taken at a full council meeting in November.

• www.edinburgh.gov.uk