Policies that will blacken town’s reputation

I REFER to Fenland District Council's proposals for further gypsy sites in Wisbech. The council clearly has a policy of locating them in and around Wisbech, away from March.

As a town, Wisbech has also felt the impact of a large number of immigrant settlers from eastern Europe over the last 10 years.

I am not against this immigration. For the most part, the people are energetic young adults who will invigorate the town. What is wrong is the County Council's and District Council's failure to back up their policies of encouraging immigration into the Wisbech area without sufficient funding to meet the additional demands placed on services, particularly education.

Wisbech has only one state secondary school to serve the whole town. There are no choices for parents, and it was one of the worst schools in the county.

Additionally, decisions have already been taken to remove

virtually all adult academic

education from Wisbech and relocate in March.

Wisbech has been selected as an area where the state will offer sub-standard academic education and concentrate on vocational training a decision which will equip the local population in readiness for low skilled, low paid, employment.

The young immigrants, who are being encouraged into this area, will have families and their children will require better-than-average education facilities, not worse. Wisbech has been chosen as an area where immigrants, including gypsies, and locals alike are being groomed for low paid work.

These policies of encouraging poorly educated immigration along with minimal educational opportunities will result in a divided community of 'haves' educating their children at the excellent Wisbech Grammar School and the 'have nots' able only to access the poorer facilities provided by the state.

These are policies guaranteed to produce public tensions and blacken the reputation of Wisbech.

BRIAN WOODARD

Woodcote Park

Wisbech