Norfolk head criticises parish council members for being ‘offensive and hostile’.

​A headteacher has criticised parish council members for being rude, offensive and hostile about his school after a plan to swap land in a bid to resolve parking issues was rejected.

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Craig Jansen said that the behaviour of members of West Walton Parish Council ‘fell short of the public office they hold’ and added he was ‘dismayed’ by the attitude of councillors towards Marshland High School.

“It was clear from my very first meeting that many of the parish council members had strong negative views in respect of the school and its place in the community,” he said in a letter to the council.

Members had been approached by the school to take part in a ‘land swap’ which would see the current village playing field become part of the school, and an adjoining piece of land the school owns would be handed-over to the parish to be used as a playing field.

Despite being assured of further ‘discussions’ about the proposal, Mr Jansen said he was dismayed to discover the council had voted to reject the plan at a meeting last month.

Mr Jansen also said when he presented an initial plan to the council 18 months ago, outlining the benefits of the deal, one member of the council said: ‘I can see how it would benefit them, but what is in it for us?’

“Our school is part of our parish and a significant number of our student population reside within it. The comment was incredibly disrespectful, showed a disdain for the school and our students and could easily be interpreted as self-serving,” he said.

He added that on the two occasions he attended a public council meeting he felt the ‘climate to be hostile’ and when he hosted councillors at the school to explain the plan, one councillor “was incredibly rude, speaking in a disparaging manner, refusing to enter the school building. Their behaviour was offensive and petulant.”

He said that the closure of the school swimming pool seven years ago saw councillors ‘hold a grudge’ as some of them helped with the original funding of the pool 40 years ago.

The school’s proposal said the village playing field was regularly used by pupils for PE and has an entrance shared with the school. The school’s own field was used infrequently because of its distance from the buildings but with a new path it would have separate access.

A new sports pavilion or gym would be built on the school’s new field which could also be used to host events for residents and external users while allowing the students to enjoy new facilities.

If the swap had gone ahead, extra parking would have been created to alleviate huge problems around the school, a member of West Norfolk Academies Trust, and improve the quality of life for local residents. The school would look at the possibility of installing CCTV to oversee the new car park, relocate play equipment and create a covenant so the land couldn’t be used for future development.

The move would have ensured safer roads, improved the use of both fields and the school had offered to look at meeting all the legal costs of the transfer.