MPs add their names to Maplewell Hall concerns
LOUGHBOROUGH MP Nicky Morgan and Charnwood MP Edward Argar are urging county council officials to work with Maplewell Hall School, parents and the wider community to keep residential care facilities open.
The Echo previously reported that the proposal to close the facilities at the Woodhouse Eaves establishment would save Leicestershire County Council £293,000 a year and could come into effect in September 2018.
The move sparked protests by some parents - including mum-of-three Kayti Ryan, from Loughborough, who has an autistic daughter at the school.
Kayti launched a petition online to ‘ save’ the facilities and it has exceeded 10,000 signatures.
The county council launched a consultation on the proposed changes and MPs Nicky Morgan and Edward Argar have revealed their response to the Echo.
In a joint letter to John Sinnott, chief executive of Leicestershire County Council, the pair say: “We are both acutely aware of the challenging financial situation faced by Leicestershire County Council (LCC) and, as you will know, have worked with LCC to campaign for a fairer deal for the county.
“However, LCC do have a choice about exactly how and where important savings are made, and so we feel the council should be look again at this proposal and instead finding a solution to keep the residential facility at Maplewell Hall up and running.
“Knowing the fantastic work Maplewell does, we have very real concerns about the impact this decision would have.”
In the letter, the MPs say they have concerns on the following issues: educational outcomes, social development and transportation and other costs to affected families.
They also say there are “outstanding queries specifically regarding usage of the residential facility” and urge Cabinet to wait until they have all “necessary information” before taking a decision.
They pair conclude by saying: “Leicestershire County Council have a strong record making important savings while continuing to deliver vital public services and I would urge the council to work with Maplewell Hall School, parents and the wider community to find a way to keep the residential facility open, and to reject proposals to close this important and much-valued provision.”
Maplewell Hall Special School, built in 1857, currently has capacity for 195 pupils with SEND (special educational needs and disability), in addition to the 10-bedroom residential facility.
The school has maintained status and is therefore directly facility controlled by the local authority.
The county council report states the school currently receives an allocation of £293,000 a year (from the High Needs Block) to support the residential provision - however no pupils currently attending the school have any requirement for residential provision, and this has been the case for the past few years.
A spokesperson for Leicestershire County Council told the Echo it has received more than 250 responses to the consultation and these, along with the petition, will be considered by scrutiny and Cabinet members.
The decision of the Cabinet will then reported and debated by the county council on December 6.
The spokesperson told the Echo: “We’re very aware of concerns and that’s why we’ve encouraging parents, staff and members of the public to have their say on the proposals.
“We’ll carefully consider, through our democratic processes, the responses and comments received, but it’s important to say that, at this stage, we’ve not made any decisions.”