Liberal Democrat councillors and Simon Hughes MP have been campaigning to secure funding for a new secondary school and a University Technical College (UTC) in Bermondsey. A University Technical College is for 14-19 year olds and trains them in skilled physical jobs which local employers need. For example, giving people skills to make and operate xray machines in the local hospitals or engineering skills for local construction firms.

After securing the money for the school and the technical college our next battle has been about where they go. We are pleased that the new secondary school has now been given the go ahead for September at the Southwark College site on Drummond Road. We have argued for a local admissions policy so that nearby children benefit.

However, we are concerned that Southwark College has recently sold the whole site to a developer. Although the new developer has agreed to the new school, we believe that there should be other education and training on the site as well. We certainly don’t just want lots of new unaffordable flats.

As locally elected representatives, we will fight to make sure that residents have a full say in the planning process. It is still early days and no formal planning application has yet been made. However, we are clear that our community needs school places, training for jobs and affordable homes. This is what we will tell the developers and the council loud and clear.