The Department for Education has a Policy FAQ which specifies the role that the Local Authority has in the free schools process.

It explains that the people affected by the initiative will have a chance to make their voices heard, as the Secretary of State will liase with the Local Authority to understand the local issues before making a final decision.

This Local Authority is in support of free schools generally, and are pushing for not just one but four north of the Talgarth Road.  They are also rapidly putting up for sale a number of Council owned properties. 

Is the Local Authority really going to represent the communities who object to a free school in their area?

Additionally, the Policy FAQ says The Department for Education will consult with the local authority about the impact of proposed schools on existing schools before making any final approvals, but it won’t turn down a proposal simply to protect existing provision.  What real impact does an objecting Local Authority have even if it wanted to protect its existing schools?

The Local Authority in H&F has already stated that it thinks that a free school will have no effect on existing schools, but the evidence they are using is not being provided despite repeated FoIA requests, and doesn’t appear to match what they are providing to local schools.  If they don’t have the same data schools have, how reliable are their interpretations of need?

What exactly is going on?

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or read more general information on free schools