Peter Kent-Baguley

Labour group betrays the people yet again

Predictably, though perhaps not had 5 of the City Independents attended, Full Council on Thursday reaffirmed the insane commitment to the deeply divisive imposition of 5 academies on Stoke-on-Trent. My censure amendment lost by a couple of votes because of course Labour supported by the cobbled coalition Tories and Lib Dems blindly voted to support academies. They have never attempted to justify the policy. Nor have the officers of the private profit-making SERCO company sent in by government to run our Children & Young People's Services Directorate. They know they haven't got an argument so silence is all they can hide behind. Running for six hours, it was my longest Full Council meeting though the "father of the chamber" recalled one that lasted eight hours.

The opposition to the imposition of academies will not only continue but it will intensify. Sponsors should be under no illusions. They will not be welcome in Stoke-on-Trent if the 23rd October referendum kicks out the hated elected dictator system in the form of the elected mayor.

I'm on late summer leave now for a week until Monday 13th October.