Voting best way to show fury

In the Commons recently, Gordon Brown stated that an extra 1,000 midwives would be needed in advance of the Healthcare Commission's review of maternity services.

In response, Dame Karlene Davis, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, commented that the college is calling for an extra 5,000 whole time equivalent midwives to cope with a rapidly rising birth rate and a number of retirements in the next 10 years.

Yet, Shropshire County Council is planning to close small county primary schools because of the falling birth rate and empty school places.

The benefit of small classes and greater individual attention is one of the reasons why small rural schools are three times more likely to do better than larger primary schools.

The Government previously gave an undertaking that village schools would be protected, but has since gone back on this promise.

One of the problems is the high cost of housing in Shropshire forcing young families to move to the cheaper urban areas of Telford and Wolverhampton. The provision of more affordable housing is one essential way of halting a decline in school numbers.

Some districts, Bridgnorth in particular, have a very poor record in this respect, and the county lacks joined-up thinking to address the issues.

If these schools all need such large sums spending on their maintenance, it does suggest that they have suffered from many years of neglect and closing them is an excuse not to spend money on essential repairs.

Just £1 million of the projected future savings would allow an average of £50,000 to be spent on 20 schools in the most need, and if the whole building was not needed for school use, part of it could be converted into offices for commercial let to save local business people having to travel into nearby towns to work, and generate income.

In the future, they could be converted back into classrooms if needed.

County councillors are elected to serve their communities. If they are not delivering the best solutions for education of local children, the answer is simple.

In May 2009, when it comes to electing 75 councillors to a new Shropshire Unitary Council, do not vote for them if they don't deliver.

Councillor David Murray, Albrighton