LABOUR CHAIR RESIGNS AMID ACADEMY FURORE

ELN: Graham Taylor has dramatically resigned as Chairman of the Tower Hamlets Labour Party (THLP) following our exposure of his apparent double-standards. He announced his decision to resign – with immediate effect – at a meeting of the THLP Executive Committee last Thursday (14 July).

In a statement issued by the Tower Hamlets Labour Party, the new Acting-Chair (Chris Weavers) told us,

“Graham’s decision was due to a conflict of interests between his role of Chair of Governors of a local school which has recently agreed to pursue Academy status and the clear opposition of the Labour Party to the Conservative-led Government’s policies on academies and free schools.”

Mr. Taylor had been chairman of the local party for a number of years and it was during his tenure that Special Measures were imposed on the party following membership irregularities. It was also during his chairmanship that Lutfur Rahman broke away to run as an independent candidate in the first mayoral elections in the borough.

It was in his role as Tower Hamlets Labour Party Chairman that he had opposed the formation of academy schools in Tower Hamlets, even voting in favour of several policy motions specifically opposing their creation. However, in his other role as Chairman of the Governors of Bethnal Green Technology College (BGTC) he had actively supported the transition of that establishment into an academy.

This apparent ideological contradiction was not lost on his party colleagues; provoking at least one previously loyal councillor to break with the party whip.

Academies are publicly funded schools which operate outside of local authority control. The government describes them as independent state-funded schools. Essentially, academies have more freedom than other state schools over their finances, the curriculum, and teachers’ pay and conditions.

The formation of academies in Tower Hamlets is strongly opposed by the main teaching unions, including the NASUWT which the new Acting-Chair of the Tower Hamlets Labour Party, Chris Weavers, is a member of.

The NUT which represents many of the staff at the college told the ELN that they too are not convinced the change to an academy would benefit teaching and learning at BGTC. Specifically, the NUT expressed their concern that the college may set its own admissions policy and start selecting students in such a way that many local children could be excluded, telling us, “current pupil admission arrangements need to be protected and enhanced, not dismantled.”

Mr. Taylor, in his role as Chair of THLP, had on a number of occasions personally voted for measures condemning the formation of academies in general and also in particular within Tower Hamlets. It therefore caught many of his colleagues within party by surprise when, in his role as Chair of Governors at BGTC, he took such an active role in the promotion and organisation of an application by the college for academy status.

The surprise was great enough to cause Cllr. Kabir Ahmed to break with the Labour Party whip over the issue. Cllr. Ahmed has since begun working with the independent Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman.

Many other Labour councillors and colleagues also expressed their dismay at the move and appealed to him for more time, believing staff and parents deserved to be balloted on the divisive issue. The Labour Group on the council led by Cllr. Josh Peck had publically urged the head-teacher and the governors of the college to reconsider their application and stay within the Local Authority family of schools.

Nevertheless, Graham Taylor and a majority of the college governors voted to formally apply for academy status. We understand Cllr. Kabir Ahmed who is also a governor of the college voted against the proposal. Following this decision it would appear Graham Taylor chose to fall on his sword before his actions caused further splits in the already highly fractious Tower Hamlets Labour Party.

A senior THLP source told the East London News that there was hope among some members that the new chairman may be more inclined to address the problems of membership infiltration and eventually see the lifting of the unpopular “Special Measures” that have been imposed on the party.

In their official statement the THLP thanked Mr. Taylor for his “outstanding service” and announced that his replacement would be chosen at a meeting of their General Committee in September.