Conisborough Parish Council – Secondary Education

May 1906

Mexborough and Swinton Times May 5, 1906

Conisborough Parish Council.
Secondary Education.

The monthly meeting was held in the Station Road schools, Conisborough, on Wednesday night, Mr J. Brocklesby in the chair. There were also present Messrs D Robinson H Baker, G Smithson, Smethurst and Wray, with Mr Hawksworth, clerk.

Mr Baker said he would like to know the reason why the footpaths – one leading down by the Mill to the Castle Inn, and the other on North Cliff – had not been repaired, according to the resolution proposed by him and pass out the previous meeting.

On the motion of Mr Robinson, seconded by Mr Smithson, it was decided that the work should be put in and at once.

The Clerk submitted a list of account, amounting to £15 19s 6d, and these were passed for payment.

Mr Baker asked the Clerk if he had a complete return of the attendance of members for the past year, and being answered in the negative, suggested that in future, it would be a good thing if such a list was drawn up in the public interest.

A letter was received from Mr B Wortley, pointing out that he had been bearing the expense of lighting two private streets, and asking the Council to pay in the future.

The Chairman thought it very unfair that Mr Wortley should pay.

Eventually the clerk was instructed to acknowledge the letter, and the matter will receive further attention and the next meeting.

According to previous notice of motion, Mr Mosby moved that the cost to maintain the secondary school at Mexborough should be borne by responsible contributory places, as hitherto, and protested against the scheme of rural areas contributing the same as urban areas.

The Chairman said he was surprised to see that notice of motion on the agenda, for the simple reason that the matter was fully considered by the Council a few months ago, and a resolution was passed acceding to requirements made. It seemed to him superfluous to reconsider the matter. There was nothing to recommend, and he knew of no special circumstances rendering necessary the reopening of the question.

Mr Mosby: Do you mean to tell me that this resolution will be acceded to by the County Council?

The Chairman: No, I said the resolution had been passed by this Council, and forwarded to the County Council within the last few months.

Mr Mosby: Has it only good?

The Chairman: I cannot say.

Mr Mosby: I don’t think it has.

The Chairman said he would like to know the special reasons for bringing the matter forward again.

Mr Smethurst said he believed he moved a similar resolution a few months ago, to that now proposed by Mr Mosby, and he did so because he did not think the Council had been served in a fair and just way. Since then he had found out that the County Council had acceded to similar requirements from several rural areas, and the scale made on the basis of population.

Mr Mosby, speaking to is resolution said they were all aware that the Parish Council of Conisborough are not much to do with the formation of the school, and that they were never asked anything until the appointment of Governors. That was one reason why the Council ought to have fought more against the scheme adopted. The chairman of the Council was against the raising of rates. To him (Mr Mosby’s) mind the adopted scheme would mean Conisborough paying for benefits much more largely taken advantage of by urban areas. People in Conisborough and especially in New Conisborough, had no use for the school, the same as had Mexborough, though they would be called upon to pay at the same rate, if the urban areas that there way, and paying for something they had nothing for. The present scheme would be more likely to benefit the tradesmen of Mexborough, who ought to pay for their own children’s education. What they, in Conisborough, what to do was to see that their governors support the resolution he was proposing, when it came before the County Council Committee. He had received information that the County Council were in favour of a sliding scheme. Is their protest was of no avail, he thought the people of Conisborough ought to have a parish meeting to decide the matter.

Mr Baker seconded, and strongly condemned the assessable basis as being unfair and unjust to rural areas. The resolution was carried unanimously.

Mr Mosby put a further resolution: “That a copy of that resolution be sent to the Conisborough Governors, the Rev W.A.Strawbridge and Mr W.W.Norwood, authorising them to see that it was carried out. On this being put to the meeting it was carried unanimously.

This closed the whole of the business.