Press Release: Bedelands Academy Pause must not mean cancel

The announcement that Conservative controlled West Sussex County Council has paused the long-promised Bedelands Academy secondary school is a huge disappointment and shock for many families in Burgess Hill. While the Conservative County Council insists this is a “pause,” their statement creates many questions that need answers.

This is a project that is meant to serve the growing community at Brookleigh, Burgess Hill and wider Mid Sussex: an area with huge housing growth in the pipeline. Residents were promised a 900-pupil school, but today’s news of a “pause” of up to two years before building can get underway means at least a 5 year wait for a new school to open.

Alison Bennett Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Mid Sussex said:

“This is about trust. Residents were promised a school. The County Council says it is protecting the land, but history tells us these commitments can slip away. Just look at the decade long fight to get the Conservatives to honour their promise to complete Woodlands Meed.

“This pause raises as many questions as it answers, and Conservative County Councillors must explain exactly how they will guarantee that children in Burgess Hill get the school places they need, when they need them.” 

Alison Bennett MP is calling for WSCC to publish:

• Full current projections for secondary school places in Mid Sussex over the next five years.
• A breakdown of current and projected costs for Bedelands Academy.
• Detailed information on the timeline for the 15 year land protection agreement and whether it intends to increase the length of that protection given this announced delay.

Alison added:

"If the Council is confident in its decision, it should have no problem providing the facts. 

“Residents of Burgess Hill and the surrounding area deserve a guarantee from West Sussex County Council that they are in the position to move quickly to provide modern school facilities that will keep up with the long-term growing demand in the area. Parents and pupils must be assured that they can get school places they need when they need them. ‘Pause’ must not mean ‘cancel’.”