Reed slams Department of Education for “dither and delay” over South Norwood site
Labour MP, Steve Reed has slammed Tory Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan MP for her failure to open a school on the the old South Norwood police station site. A large number of local residents have contacted Mr Reed to complain about the Government leaving the site vacant for so long.
Steve campaigned against the closure of the police station by London Mayor Boris Johnson in 2012. After Mayor Johnson closed it, Mr Reed won Government support for the site to be used for a school given the desperate shortage of school places in the area.
The Government allocated the site to STEM, a free school sponsor. But in February the sponsors unexpectedly pulled out and since then the Department for Education has failed to find a new partner to open a school on the site. Local residents are concerned that the large empty building is attracting dumped rubbish, crime and anti-social behaviour including drug dealing.
Steve Reed MP said; “First the Tories closed our police station and now they’ve left the building empty instead of opening the new school local parents so desperately need. This great big empty building is becoming a blight on the area. I’ve called on the Government to stop dithering and get a grip of the situation to help regenerate South Norwood.”
NOTES
- Steve Reed is the Labour MP for Croydon North
- During his 2012 by-election, Mr Reed campaigned to keep the South Norwood police station open
- In 2014, Mr Reed called for the site to be used to for schooling: http://www.steve4croydon.co.uk/steve-calls-for-halt-to-police-station-sell-off-to-ease-school-places-crisis/