by Hayley Robinson

hrobinson@thekmgroup.co.uk

A Tory councillor is urging parents to fight his party's plan to close three schools in the Medway Towns.

Cllr Ted Baker, a former chair governors at St Peter’s Infant School, says he is not happy with the council’s proposal about closing St Peter’s, Ridge Meadow and St John’s Infant school.

Cabinet members are due to discuss whether to scrap the plans or put them out for public consultation when they meet at the St George Centre, Chatham Maritime, at 3pm tomorrow.

Parents, staff and pupils from all three schools facing possible closure are expected to arrive at the centre at 2pm to stage a protest over the plans.

Cllr Baker, who recently completed his term as Medway's deputy mayor, said: "I don’t think they’ve [the council] thought it through. The facts and figures don’t add up.

"They’re constantly telling us about all these houses being built in the area so where are they going to put the kids because houses normally bring kids not ready made adults?

"They’re saying it’s because these schools have above 25 per cent surplus places but 25 per cent of what figure?

"I don’t think anyone is towing the line at the moment as it’s not been fully discussed. It’s still early days but people seem to think it’s a done deal.

"Don’t believe it. It’s got to go through various permutations first so everyone involved from the schools will get to have their say and rightly so."

The proposal also includes plans to merge 16 infant and junior schools but Cllr Baker says he isn’t opposing those.

He added: "Years ago the government made us split the schools up, that’s how barmy it all is.

"The problem is once some of the schools are combined they too will have huge numbers of surplus places."