Save Ashford Campus

The protest outside the college yesterday was very well attended, with in excess of 500 signatures taken, (many more than our post office and pensions petitions) and many more residents of the area made aware of the sad situation of the threat of closure of the college. If it were to happen, 1000 students would have no college places in Spelthorne next year, and all the students currently in Spelthorne schools would have no local college places for the future. The facilities and opportunities offered to our young people at the Ashford campus cannot be duplicated by using sixth forms in the local schools. It would just not be feasible to have, for example, the excellent Hair Academy, with its rows of specialised basins and beauty treatment beds, the catering facilities, building course facilities and much more, in every Spelthorne school, or have the young people travelling all over the place to find the course that they want. These young people are the tax payers of the future, they therefore need to be employable, so that they can pay our pensions, and they don't want to be a burden on our benefits system. It was good to see that some prospective parliamentary candidates had taken the time to come along and speak to the people that they could, in future, be representing, and that others that were unable to attend, had pledged their support. Please support the students and staff at the college by signing the petitions.

Save Ashford Further Education

Please Join:
There is a new facebook site to save the college, with another petition to sign. Please sign this one as well as the Number 10 petition. The link is: http://saveashfordfe.org.uk/

Please Sign:
The Number 10 link is: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Save-Brooklands/

Please be there:
There is a PROTEST outside the Ashford Campus at 10am on Saturday 28th November.


There is also a PROTEST outside Spelthorne Borough Council offices on Monday 30th November at 4.30, as the borough council have a Special Cabinet Meeting at 5pm to consider that the council proceed IMMEDIATELY with a 6 week public consultation on a planning brief for Brooklands College (Ashford) and the Multi-Storey car park. It is vital that we save the college, so that we can provide our young people with further education in this area, there is no other provision in Spelthorne.
"I believe our children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way......"
"If you tolerate this, your children will be next".

Number 10 Petition - Ashford Campus

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%253A%252F%252Fpetitions.number10.gov.uk%252FSave-Brooklands%252F&h=6aee0aeda26557274b3f3bff32aebf40&ref=mf

Please sign the Number 10 petition to save the Ashford Campus of Brooklands College, using the link above.

Ashford Campus, Brooklands College

There is an online NO10 petition to save the College, please sign it now. There is a facebook page too, please join the group. I will be writing to Gordon Brown to ask him to save the college, as I am confident that the goverment will realise that it is the right thing to do. We should all be trying to save further and vocational education for our children in this area. Three of my four children attended this college, and my fourth child should have the opportunity too.

Message from David Cameron on the EU

Yesterday the Lisbon Treaty was signed by the President of the Czech Republic. It is now set to become EU law.
I know from the huge number of letters and emails that I have been receiving how much people will resent the fact we cannot now have the referendum we were promised by Labour.
But I have always been clear that, if this situation came about, I would immediately set out how a Conservative Government would respond.

First, if we win the next election, we will prohibit, by law, the transfer of further power to the EU without a referendum. Never again should it be possible for a British government to transfer power to the EU without the British people's consent.
Second, we will introduce a United Kingdom Sovereignty Bill to make it clear that ultimate authority stays in this country, in our Parliament.
And third, we want to negotiate three specific guarantees with our European partners over powers that we believe should reside with Britain, not the EU. We will negotiate the return of Britain's opt-out from social and employment legislation in those areas which have proved most damaging to our economy and public services. We also want a complete opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights. And we would negotiate for a return of powers in criminal justice to prevent EU judges gaining steadily greater control over our criminal justice system.
If I am elected Prime Minister, the British Government I lead will be an active member of the European Union. Like every other Member State, we will fight our corner to advance our national interests. But our guiding principles will be that Britain's interests are best served by a European Union that is an association of its member states - and we must never allow Britain to slide into a federal Europe.

David Cameron

Brooklands College, Ashford Campus

Brooklands College, Ashford Campus, formerly Spelthorne College. Recent news of closure of the college was a real shock to me. I had written to the right honourable Lord Peter Mandelson at the beginning of July this year, and received a reply in August saying that the LSC would ensure that no college is unable to meet its financial obligations as a result of decisions that have had to be made on capital. It also stated that the project could be prioritised in preparation for the next spending round, and that the LSC and AoC were exploring ways for colleges to access private finance. I took this as positive news, and so the news that the governors of Brooklands College have made the decision to close the college was a real blow. With three of my four children having attended the Ashford college, and the fourth hoping to when old enough, I am in the same position as many other local parents of having no sixth form college in the borough, or within a decent travelling distance. Along with cuts to public transport, how on earth are these young people to access further education in this part of the county, especially as it will soon be compulsory up to the age of 18. Parents, children, and staff at the college, rightly feel badly treated by the government, the LSC, and to some extend the governors of Brooklands College. Retailers in the town also fear for the sustainability of the town if the college was to close, as it brings much trade to, and encouraged many new retailers into the town. There is as much concern about what will happen to the building, as there is about the future education of the children, with residents fearing apartments blocks being built in place of the college. It has also been said that if the borough planning committee had not taken so long to determine the application, the college may not be in this position, 6 months may have made a difference. But what is done is done, and the most important thing now is for all parties to find a solution, and one that is best for the young people and their education, they are our future. Perhaps if the Surrey MP's were not too busy fretting about their expenses, they might get together to help. Maybe it's time education was taken out of the hands of politicians, and run by local areas themselves? To listen to the interview on BBC Radio Surrey at 08:10 this morning, check on the BBC iplayer, or listen again on the BBC website/Radio Surrey.

Rememberance Sunday

The annual service held at Ashford Memorial seems to attract more people every year. I had to miss it last year due to a trip to Stratford Upon Avon, but there was a church next to our hotel with a memorial, so we tagged onto the villagers service, which after the laying of wreaths, was taken into the church for the two minutes silence and following service. I much prefer our Ashford service which is shared by all in the open air, and is much more dignified now that the police have reinstated their traffic duty during the event. What would those poor souls, who gave their lives for us, think of the way this country is being run today, and would they think that it was all worth the fighting and dying, for our freedoms to be given away so readily.