THE leader of Bolton Council's Tories is calling for money saved by closing a special school to be ploughed back into other schools.

Bromley Cross Cllr Norman Critchley welcomed the proposed closure of Lostock Park School for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

He hit out: "I shall be pressing the Labour council to plough back the money into the school's budget and not to use it to pay the increase in allowances that Labour councillors voted for themselves."

He was referring to a recent rise in councillors' allowances for attending meetings and special responsibility payments.

Cllr Critchley said the Conservatives put forward the closure of the school as part of their budget proposals this year. He claimed there were times when there were rarely more than 10 of the 31 pupils attending the school.

"On many occasions, the teachers outnumbered the pupils," he added. He also accused council chiefs of "playing politics with the education of our children" by talking about cuts in the service before the council's budget is known.

But an angry Cllr Don Eastwood, Labour chairman of Bolton's education and arts committee, hit back: "He doesn't know what he is talking about.

"The service at Lostock Park is being transferred to Stocks Park. There will not be any cut in staff or resources. As for the cuts, the director of finance estimates the council will have to cut £8 million and education and arts will have to meet around half of this."

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