Letter: School closures will ruin Shropshire villages

Letter: In the 1980s the Conservatives closed many coal mines and ripped the heart out of mining villages, leaving communities destroyed.

The Tories seem to have learned nothing as they try to close village schools which will have the same effect.

Why is it communities of ordinary working people who want a good education for their children in the local village school are being picked on to bear the greater burden of financial cuts?

Our locally-elected Tory councillors do not appear to want to support the people who elected them. This makes the big society look somewhat hollow and false.

The Chancellor, supported by his Lib Dem stooges, let the banks off the hook on taxation and bonus payments last week.

One banker's yearly bonus would solve all affected Shropshire schools problems for years to come.

The local MP, Mr Dunne, in his visits to schools has suggested affected schools could use the "free school system" and transfer from the local authority as a means of saving their school.

Parents should be wary of this so-far failing Government policy, designed for affluent and middle class parents. This is a cop-out, the biggest educational con of all time.

The Government says: "Here's a few quid to educate your kids, now go away and don't bother us."

Just remember, this cabinet contains 18 millionaires, none of whom went to state schools or send their kids to village schools - and that includes Phillip Dunne.

Their actions will not be forgotten nor forgiven if our schools close.

RI Jeavons

Craven Arms