A petition with 2,410 signatures urging North Tyneside Council to reverse its decision to close High Borrans, its outdoor education centre in Cumbria, will be debated by all councillors in September. The petition has surpassed the 2,000-name threshold required to trigger the debate, and the local authority has confirmed it will be included in next month's full council meeting.
Council cites £3m investment need
The council's decision to close the centre by November has generated heated debate since the Local Democracy Reporting Service first reported it in early July. The local authority has cited a £3m investment need, a decline in school trips, and the centre's reliance on subsidies as reasons for its lack of viability.
The petition states: “Outdoor education is not an optional extra. It is an essential part of a well-rounded education. Experiences beyond the classroom challenge young people in ways that cannot be replicated through textbooks or screens. They encourage problem-solving, foster social skills, support mental well-being, and help children discover strengths they never knew they possessed.”
Debate format and political responses
According to the council's constitution, the petition organiser will be given five minutes to present the petition, followed by a discussion by councillors for a maximum of 15 minutes.
A member of the Save High Borrans Campaign and leader of the council's Tory group, coun John Johnsson said: “The incredible response to the petition demonstrates just how strongly people feel about saving High Borrans. The Mayor and her cabinet need to take notice of that strength of feeling and reconsider their position.”
Coun Johnsson added: “The campaign group are realistic. They understand the financial challenges facing the council, and nobody is pretending there are easy answers. What we are asking for is a pause in the closure process to give us the time and opportunity to properly explore whether there is a viable alternative.”
Labour group responds
A spokesperson for the ruling Labour group said: “There is still no credible, costed proposal for funding the repairs or making the centre financially sustainable. The council cannot simply dither and delay at the taxpayers' expense while campaigners continue searching for an answer that may never arrive.
“If there is a fully funded, viable alternative, put it forward. Two months after the decision was made, not even a remotely credible proposal has been produced. Asking taxpayers to keep picking up the bill indefinitely while perfectly good alternatives with sufficient capacity already exist is not a plan.”
