Why school mergers have to go ahead
THE mere mention of school mergers is enough to set alarm bells ringing and prompt panic among parents.
Yet often difficult decisions have to be made to juggle the twin demands of our children's education with already stretched school budgets.
So Wakefield Council is doing the right thing by talking about their plans now before anything concrete is decided.
In order to tackle an empty classroom crisis they are looking to turn six schools into three.
Parents will understandably feel concern at the measures, but the reality is that just as we cannot afford to have too many pupils in a classroom it is simply not viable to have too few.
The 5,000 surplus school places in Wakefield cost the council an estimated 5m every year and that crippling leak must be plugged.
The local authority says it has carried out extensive consultation with the six schools concerned and the general opinion of those involved is that the merger plan is the best way forward.
Convincing the mums and dads may well prove a trickier task, but circumstances dictate that while this course of action may not be popular, it's also unavoidable.
Our gratitude
OPERATIONS in Afghanistan can often seem far removed from our day to day lives back in Britain.
But the stark reality of the conflict was brought home when Jordan Rossi was laid to rest in West Yorkshire.
The 22-year-old sapper lost his life after being caught in an explosion in Helmand Province on May 23.
Comrades lined up at his funeral yesterday to pay tribute to the courage, skill and determination of a fun-loving young man who took pride in his work.
One told how he made the worst of situations seem bearable for those around him. Such was his courage that he even joked of going for a curry as he lay dying.
We can only hope Jordan's loved ones took some comfort in the fact that hundreds of mourners turned out to him – and that millions more around the country are eternally grateful for the ultimate sacrifice he has made.
Payback time
CRIME doesn't just affect individuals, it can blight entire communities.
Thankfully, the Proceeds of Crime Act allows police the chance to even the score.
As well as putting crooks behind bars they can also seize their assets, recovering cash, cars, homes and any other ill-gotten gains.
The proceeds are then redistributed among community groups, with four organisations in Leeds, Dewsbury and Halifax the latest to receive almost 6,000 of funding on the back of such seizures.
Criminals are a pox on our society, systematically draining money out of the country's coffers.
Isn't it refreshing to see money coming out of their pockets and back into ours for a change?
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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