§ Sir J. Vaughan-MorganI beg to present a Petition from the inhabitants of the village of Godstone in Surrey, in which they deplore the fact that the Minister of Education has not yet given his consent for the Surrey County Council to build a new primary school in their village.
I should explain that those who examine this Petition may note the paucity of signatures. This should not be interpreted as a lack of support by the people of the village but rather it should be attributed to the fact that the procedures laid down by this honourable 206 House are somewhat antiquated and baffling to the average citizen. In point of fact, virtually the whole population of the village, numbering 1,000, have given their wholehearted support in writing to the substance of this Petition.
The Petition ends:
Wherefore your Petitioners pray and earnestly request that Her Majesty's Minister of Education grant his consent to the proposal by the Surrey County Council to erect the new county primary school for the village by reason of the facts that
- 1. The existing building is out of date and inadequate by modern standards.
- 2. The growth of the village has left the existing school isolated from the centre of population.
- 3. The new building would, when occupied, relieve pressure on the primary schools in neighbouring villages.
- 4. The site for the new school is already owned by the local education authority.
And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc.
§ To lie upon the Table.