Last night, Michael Fabricant voted for the Government’s education Bill
"and it was thinking of Chase Terrace Technology College that persuaded
me" he says. The Bill, promoted by Tony Blair and Education Secretary
Ruth Kelly, has been dubbed a ‘Tory Bill’ because it needed Conservative
votes to get it through the Commons as so many Labour MPs rebelled
against it.

Michael Fabricant was appalled when he recently visited the College in
his Lichfield and Burntwood constituency and saw that behind the modern
buildings with the latest I.T. equipment there lurked decrepit sports
and fitness facilities.

"Following meetings and correspondence I have had with Heather Bowman,
the headteacher, it is clear that spanking new sports and fitness
facilities could be constructed to match the rest of the building. The
College has saved sufficient reserves and has enough annual income that
they could take out a long term loan – and have cash to spare – to pay
for the construction of the new facilities. But Stafford is preventing
them from doing so.

"I have long argued that schools should be given full independence so
they can decide how to spend their resources and that they should be
funded directly from London to stop the anomaly where Staffordshire
schools receive less per pupil than other counties. The Government’s
new Education and Inspections Bill goes a long way, though not all the
way, to achieve this. It is only Old Labour MPs who demand centralised
control who oppose the Bill" he adds.

Michael has now written to the Schools Minister, Jacqui Smith MP, to
explore ways in which the College can use its funds to construct new
facilities.