A parent body chief has accused Angus councillors of ‘discourtesy, verging on arrogance’ after being gagged on the controversial issue of a planned four-and-a-half day secondary school week.
Geoff Hobson, the chair of Webster’s High School Parent Council in Kirriemuir, was prevented from commenting on the proposal at Tuesday’s meeting of Angus children and learning committee in Forfar by the casting vote of convener Sheena Welsh.
In accordance with council procedures, Mr Hobson had made a request for a deputation to offer the Webster’s parent body views on a consultation report recommending a switch to a 33-period week for Angus secondary youngsters from August 2017, which would introduce a lunchtime Friday finish into the school timetable.
Thousands of responses to the idea were given by pupils, parents and staff, but although the consultation delivered a significant level of support for the proposal council bosses have also admitted it will also raise their school transport bill by £370,000.
The committee narrowly voted in favour of the change – but a final decision will not be taken until next month after Arbroath councillor David Fairweather referred the matter to the full Angus Council.
Prior to considering the recommendations of strategic director Margo Williamson, however, convener Mrs Welsh said she did not think it appropriate for Mr Hobson to address the committee.
“We have already heard Mr Hobson’s views and those of Webster’s Parent Council (in November). I think it would be discourteous to other parent councils for one to get so many bites at the cherry.”
Cllr Fairweather moved to allow Mr Hobson to speak, commenting: “He has every right to be heard”, but after a split vote Mrs Welsh ruled that the delegation should not go ahead.
Mr Hobson today hit out at the decision to silence him.
“I regard it as discourteous, verging on arrogant, to presume that I would simply reiterate what I said in November,” he told The Courier.
“The proposal at this meeting resulted from the findings of a wide consultation. I attended one of the parents’ consultation meetings. Also this was the first time a cost was attached to the proposals, over £370,000.
“I intended to reflect these developments and I note that one councillor changed his view since November as a consequence of attending a consultation meeting and voted for the change,” he added.
Mr Hobson described Cllr Welsh’s reason that it would have been unfair for him to speak in the absence of delegations from any of the area’s other seven secondary school parent councils as “entirely unreasonable”.
He added: “It is not the responsibility of anyone requesting to make a deputation, to ensure that all other parties also attend, nor should their absence prevent those attending from speaking.
“Why did the convener feel so insecure regarding the support for the proposal that she felt it necessary to silence public comment on it?
“Did she not trust members of the committee to make the ‘right’ decision if they had heard what she anticipated would be a contrary argument?
“While I am sure the process was entirely legal, it did not feel like open and transparent democracy in action.”
