LABOUR/Co-op MP Sarah McCarthy–Fry has expressed her surprise that a House of Commons debate initiated by her to explore the potential for co-operative trust schools was not attended by a single Conservative representative.
Ms McCarthy-Fry, MP for Portsmouth North, told the News that in view of David Cameron’s stated commitment regarding the importance of co-op schools, she had expected that the Tory benches would be “brimming with people and ideas about how we can embed co-operative values into cherished public services”.
But when the debate came, the Conservative benches were completely empty.
Said Ms McCarthy-Fry: “David Cameron has said it is a shame the Co-operative Movement is associated with the left. I am sorry to disappoint him, but I would contend that it is no accident, because it is the Labour Party that has unstintingly supported co-operatives over the years.
“We have conducted a review of co-operative and credit union legislation and backed the establishment of new mutuals in all sorts of areas, including, of course, the launch of the Reddish Vale Technology College (the first co-operative trust school).
“That is what Labour and the Co-op Movement have achieved together — not making speeches or jumping on bandwagons, but taking solid action based on our shared values.”
During the debate, Minister for Schools and Learners, Jim Knight, spoke of the Government’s support for the co-operative trust model.
He said: “We are already laying the ground for getting the Co-operative Movement more involved in education. I believe that its influence can grow in the months and years ahead. My officials are already in discussion with the Movement about a possible national model for co-operative trust schools.
“I see real unique strengths in co-operative trust schools: a strong set of values informing the ethos of the school and that ethos in turn creates a strong stakeholder model involving parents, staff and pupils in producing an education service that meets the needs of, and is directly accountable to, its local community.”
Mr Knight added that the total absence of a Conservative presence during the debate suggested that “their foray into this territory appears no more than a cheap attempt to grab a few headlines.”
He added: "The values that the Co-operative Movement stands for are not the sort that can be invented overnight. The Conservative Party’s commitment to co-ops is devoid of values, substance or any action. No surprise there then.”
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