AS a resident of Harwood I have been following with interest the debate about the proposed closure of Longsight School.

It came as breath of fresh air to read in the BEN, the concise facts put forward by Mr Smallman in his argument in favour of retaining the school, in direct contrast to the spin, smears, and cherry-picked statistics used by Mrs Thomas in her attempts to justify the closure of the school.

One notable voice absent from the debate is that of David Crausby, the area's one Member of Parliament. In view of his party's cries of "Education! Education! Education!", perhaps he should clearly state whether he is for or against the closure of the school, and give us his opinion as to who should accept responsibility for the school's plight.

A C Crompton

Broadstone Road

Bolton