LOCAL authorities have a statutory responsibility to provide school places for children of school age.

The ability to do this effectively depends on a council's capacity to plan strategically to meet the needs it identifies. However, its ability to do this in the future, has been undermined by the Government's decision that local authorities can no longer build new community schools.

Any new school must be an academy or free school. At the same time, without consultation with the local authority, existing academies can apply to the government to set up a free school.

Herein lies the problem; it is one of planning. This is my reason for arguing, as I did in the recent article in the Bolton News, for delay in St Catherine's bid to open a free school in Horwich. To be able to deploy staff effectively, have the right levels of finance and to provide a balanced curriculum, schools need, as far as possible, to be full.

As housing development in Horwich unfolds there will, of course, be a need for new school places and, in time, working in partnership with the local authority, St Catherine's will be in a position to contribute by establishing a new school. However, now is not the time. There is insufficient demographic evidence to suggest that a new two form entry school is either necessary or that, if built, it wouldn't de-stabilise existing schools.

Cllr Kevin McKeon

Horwich