Local parents reject BNP governor

Parents of children at Hereward Primary School have condemned the nomination of local BNP leader Pat Richardson as a school governor.

Richardson put herself forward for the role after no candidates came forward from the local community.

Speaking to the Epping Forest Guardian, Hannah Martin, who lives on the Oakwood estate and whose three year old goes to Hereward, said she was disgusted at the prospect of Richardson becoming governor. She said: "My son is mixed race and I know there are lots of black children at the school. Teachers and staff here have always been brilliant in making everyone feel welcome, and I think there is a danger that this would ruin all that."

Sam Kelly, a mother of two whose 10 year old son is at the school, said: "My son has been here for seven years and I have never known any problems over race. I think the school needs to think what kind of message this would send out."

Local father Lee Thurland said: "I don't know much about the BNP but what I have heard I don't like."

The school, which has been praised by OfSTED for its multi-cultural environment, will have to decide whether to accept the nomination of the councillor from the far-right party, which advocates the "repatriation" of non-white people.

Richardson said: "I would hope to bring some common sense to the decision-making process down there."

"Common sense" is what the BNP commonly refers to its policy of alienating and expelling non-white and mixed race people. Advancing such racist policies in a primary school is very ominous indeed.

If you think you would make a better school governor than the local leader of an extremist political party, you can submit your nomination via the town council:

Town Clerk : Enid Walsh
Loughton Town Council
Buckingham Court
Rectory Lane
Loughton
Essex, UK.
IG10 2QZ
Tel : +44 (0)20 8508 4200
Fax: +44 (0)20 8508 4400
E-mail: contact@loughton-tc.gov.uk

Epping Forest BNP Watch

'Sworn enemies' bar BNP man from school governor job

Moves to install a BNP member on the board of governors at a primary school have been blocked by councillors.

The far-right party had suggested that councillor Anthony Simmonds join the board of governors at Park Hall Primary School, in Weston Coyney. Mr Simmonds is ward councillor for the Weston and Meir North ward. But the coalition of Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, the largest group on Stoke-on-Trent City Council, put forward an alternative candidate in former councillor Derek Bamford.

The decision was put to a full council vote, which rejected Mr Simmonds's nomination by 37 votes to 16 and handed the post to Mr Bamford. Councillor Simmonds said his nomination had been blocked on purpose. He said: "The other councillors are trying to stop us in any way they can. Education is very important to me. Park Hall primary is in my ward and I wanted to be a governor. At the last minute the coalition parties put Bamford forward. I would have liked to have been governor because my two nephews go to that school. But because I'm a member of the BNP I get tarred with the same brush as other people."

BNP leader Alby Walker said he had expected the other councillors to block his party's nomination. He said: "We fully expected what happened. But what we didn't expect was that the main coalition parties wanted it to be a named vote. I think this was to make sure that the Conservative members were too scared to vote for us openly. Not many people want to be a school governor, because it is a thankless job. But Anthony did want the job because the school is in his ward.

"When I found out there was going to be a counter-nomination, I asked Anthony if he wanted to withdraw his, as we expected he would be blocked. He said he didn't want to do that. We have at least two other councillors serving as school governors. The other parties have now obviously decided to try to block each of our nominations by submitting their own. That's the nature of politics. I have nothing against any of them personally, but politically we are sworn enemies."

Mr Bamford, who lost his seat to the BNP in 2006, said he had not been aware anyone else wanted the governor position. He said: "It's up to the council to decide who they want as their representative on the board. I was put forward as a nomination, and I didn't realise anyone else had been as well. Since I lost my seat I have remained very interested in children's services, and the school governor position gives me an ability to maintain that interest. I have no objections from anyone of any party standing as a governor, but at the end of the day it's up to full council to decide who they want."

The Sentinel