I recently wrote to the local education department to request added accommodation at Fulford School to accommodate those children who have been successful in their appeals and the remaining local children who have not been so fortunate.

The request was flatly refused. Imagine my horror when I then discovered that Fulford School is currently oversubscribed by 160 pupils. Who is responsible for this?

On the one hand, provision of extra accommodation could be purely a policy matter in which case responsibility lies with the elected members.

Local authority employees, however high in the hierarchy, are simply administrators, facilitators and advisers.

Their task is to implement the policy decided by the democratic body of city councillors.

Are we to believe our councillors are either aware but uncaring, or unaware and careless that such overcrowding is happening in our schools? Or, do they consider the issue so insignificant they are bowing to the dictates of the seemingly all-powerful civil servants who issue the refusals?

On the other hand, extra accommodation could be an administration matter. Local authority employees could be expected to decide upon provision as is necessary to effectively implement council policies. If council policy dictates that a certain number of children attend a certain school, then administrators should ensure there is sufficient accommodation.

If this is the case then they are obviously failing in their duties.

Perhaps somebody would like to enlighten us?

Ms N J Hartas,

Alma Grove,

Fulford Road,

York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.