Campaigners fighting to stop the merger of two Shropshire schools are today hoping to win over education watchdogs.

The county council’s recent decision to press ahead with the closure of the Oakland and Longmeadow primaries in Bayston Hill and replace them by building a new voluntary controlled school for children living in the village, is being discussed by the authority’s children and young people’s services scrutiny panel today.

Oakland parents and governors have, since the beginning of the year, maintained strong opposition to the plan aimed at managing falling pupil numbers.

They have tabled several questions to today’s meeting, mainly focusing on financial issues.

The council cabinet’s decision to approve the merger has been “called-in on the grounds that alternative options were not considered, the reasons for rejecting any options were not recorded, the decision was not wholly consistent with the budget and that it was not in line with statutory guidance on the consideration of school closures”.

But a report to councillors on the scrutiny committee claims none of these reasons are valid. It says alternatives were considered, that the decision was consistent with the budget of £15.2 million – now increased to more than £15.75 million – which the cabinet knew to be available and the decision-making procedure followed the Department for Children Schools and Families’ statutory guidance.