Acomb debate – We just want facts on school catchment areas

FORMER Labour candidate and Labour agent at the recent Heworth by-election David Ellis’s letter criticising the Liberal Democrats’ response to the Boundary Commission’s proposals is based on a misunderstanding of the point being made.

Nobody has claimed that changing ward boundaries would automatically change school catchment areas. As a former headteacher, Mr Ellis will know that catchment areas are reviewed through a separate process.

However, councillors were briefed by Labour’s own council officers that there is an attempt, where possible, to align ward boundaries and school catchment areas. The reason is obvious: both are intended to reflect the communities people belong to and the services they use.

Indeed, Labour’s own submission to the Boundary Commission refers to school catchment areas no fewer than 18 times. It is therefore rather strange to suggest that catchment areas are somehow irrelevant to discussions about ward boundaries.

That means ward boundaries can have implications for future decisions. If communities currently associated with Rural West York are moved into wards centred on Acomb, it becomes more likely that future reviews of catchment areas and other community-based services will view those neighbourhoods as part of Acomb rather than Rural West.

This was precisely why local residents raised concerns.

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The Boundary Commission specifically asks consultees to consider community ties and local identity. Highlighting the potential consequences of splitting established communities is therefore entirely legitimate and forms an important part of the consultation process.

Residents deserve a debate based on the facts and on what best reflects local communities, rather than accusations of “false information” directed at those who hold a different view.

Cllr Anne Hook,

Liberal Democrat councillor for Rural West York ward,

Upper Poppleton,

York

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