PARENTS have begun legal action against Glasgow City Council in a bid to stop school catchment changes.

 

Outraged parents who live in Kintore were furious when council bosses voted to pass plans to redraw south side catchment areas.

But they have vowed to fight back with a campaign to draw support from other local families.

Mum-of-two Louise Hutchinson, said: "This whole mess just doesn't make sense.

"We want to know the real reasons behind the drastic changes to the catchment plans that the Labour council are so determined to push through.

"The reasons that education services have given us just don't add up.

"We have had several freedom of information requests rejected and the information we have been supplied with raises more questions than it answers.

"We are not giving up on this, this is not just going to go away. If the council persists in pushing through these unfathomable proposals, they will have a fight on their hands."

As first told in the Evening Times, education bosses will redraw catchment areas for seven south side schools following a consultation that began last October.

It aims to address issues of overcrowding at Merrylee Primary School.

Dad Jonathan Coburn, who lives on Kintore Road, is also campaigning. He said: "It's perhaps not surprising that this u-turn proposal has been railroaded through by the Labour administration in Glasgow.

"It feels again like Labour politicians are too quick to put their own interests ahead of their constituents and council officers too slow to acknowledge their mistakes.

"Hopefully further council scrutiny, a ruling from the Ombudsman or legal challenge can at least begin to bring the facts to light and expose any wrongdoing.

"All anyone asks for is common sense, fairness and transparency in these things."

Merrylee, Croftfoot, Battle-field, Mount Florida Primary Schools and King's Park, Hillpark Secondary Schools and Shawlands Academy are all affected.

Kintore Road, which is currently part of the shared Merrylee and Battlefield catchment, was originally proposed to become just Merrylee.

Now it is proposed to become part of the Battlefield catchment instead.

The changes put 900 households in a different catchment to what was originally proposed - around 25% of the area's population,

Mum Tess Wood added: "This decision will completely destroy any stability that I have created for my child - his nursery school friendships will be lost and most critically his confidence will need to be rebuilt within another unfamiliar community.

"All we asked for was democracy and the right to be consulted. Glasgow City Council - you should be thoroughly ashamed of your farcical 'public consultation'."

Parents have engaged a lawyer and are looking to set up a crowdfunding campaign to help with the legal challenge.

They also intend to push for a call-in of the decision.

A council spokeswoman said: "Local elected members have exercised their right to call-in the Executive decision.

"A report will go to the next scrutiny committee to be discussed."