Local MP Catherine McKinnell has added her voice to the ‘Save our Schools’ campaign following the decision by the Lib-Con government to cancel hundreds of new school buildings across the country.

Ms McKinnell is urging as many people as possible to back the campaign and to sign a petition to reverse the cuts that have been threatened to this vital area.

Ms McKinnell, MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North, said: ‘The decision by the government to cancel planned renovations was a huge disappointment for parents, teachers and young people.

‘I am determined to fight these unfair and unnecessary cuts which will not only damage the education of our children but will also cost further jobs in the construction industry and its varied supply chain. Although in the north east we were ironically fortunate in that most of our schools were already so dilapidated that they warranted early replacement, this does not mean that we have therefore forgotten those who remain in inadequate, out-of-date conditions.

‘The Building Schools for the Future programme was a fundamental investment in the future of young people and it is shocking how willingly that this has been cruelly snatched away.

‘That is why I’m asking everyone in the north east to back the campaign to Save our Schools by visiting the www.save-our-schools.org.uk website and signing the SoS petition.’