Mayor Dave Hodgson set for Education Talks with Secretary of State

Mayor Dave Hodgson will be joined by other local representatives from Bedford Borough at a meeting tomorrow with Secretary of State Michael Gove in the wake of the Government's cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future project. The meeting provides an opportunity to make Mr Gove aware of the circumstances in Bedford Borough following the removal of all Borough Schools from the BSF programme bar the Bedford Academy, which is 'for discussion,' and comes as the Government embarks on a review of capital investment in schools.

Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson said: "I look forward to this opportunity to stress to the Secretary of State the fundamental need for investment in schools in Bedford Borough. It is even more important in the current climate, while overall cuts are being made nationally, that we make the case for investment which will help bring the improvement in education standards which we all want to see."

Topics to be covered at the meeting include the scope for real improvement in attainment levels in Bedford Borough, while the specific case of the Bedford Academy, which will replace John Bunyan Upper School in September, will be raised after the list of BSF projects published by the Government last week stated it was 'for discussion.'