Riverside should be given a chance

4.17.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 13th May 2009

Leicester Liberal Democrat Leader Peter Coley, told local press, "Riverside should be given the chance...."

The City Council meeting about the proposed closure of a Riverside Secondary School was brought to an abrupt end amid continued angry interruptions from the public gallery.

Leicester Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr. Peter Coley, told local press, "Riverside should be given the chance to be turned around, in the same way as New College in New Parks had." He went onto add, "There has been no debate about why closure is the only option. The report is premature. We need to have a proper discussion. There's a widely held view that this is an opportunity to sell the land. I know that's been disclaimed by some people because it's a flood plain, but some of the land is above the flood plain and it is of value."

The Leicester labour run cabinet met to agree to consult with the public over a recommendation to close Riverside Business and Enterprise College in Rowley Fields. According to local press, the labour cabinet heard about a "widely held view" that the school's land would be valuable to house developers. It also heard accusations that numbers were so low because primary schools were encouraging parents not to choose Riverside.

Cllr. Hussein Suleman the Lib Dem spokesperson on education said, "If you give up on a city school that may not be performing well instead of helping to improve it, you might as well give up on every school, lets keep it open and look at other options."