COUNCILLORS have delayed making a decision affecting the future of ten primary schools in the borough.

Education bosses had named the schools they wanted to close or amalgamate in a bid to tackle the problem of falling rolls.

Officers had whittled down various options and presented their recommendations to Thursday's (April 11) executive committee.

Around 150 members of the public packed Bury Town Hall's Peel Room expecting to hear a final decision.

But members declined to vote on the recommendations and agreed to refer the plans to the council's lifelong learning scrutiny and review panel.

The most controversial recommendations made at the meeting were:-

Close Affetside Primary School and accommodate its pupils at Christ Church CE Primary School, Walshaw

Close St Paul's CE Primary School, Ramsbottom, and accommodate its pupils at St Andrew's CE Primary School.

Close both St John's CE Primary School, Bury and St Mark's CE Primary School and create a new primary school on the St John's school site.

Coun Derek Boden said: "I understand these proposals are painful, but we have to be fair to schoolchildren across the entire borough. Sending it to Scrutiny will set us on the next step to a very thorough examination."

Affetside parent Joanne Wilcock said: "The parents wish it to be known that they are unanimous in refusing to take up any places at Christ Church for Affetside's children."

She said Christ Church was not of the same standard or offered the same attractions as Affetside, such as small mixed age classes.

Fellow opponent David Baker said the proposal was "fundamentally flawed" and ill thought out with no proper consultation.

Like many parents of children at the affected schools, he claimed the council's forecasts for pupil numbers were inaccurate, but this was firmly disputed by chief education officer Mr Harold Williams.

The recommendation to close Ramsbottom's St Paul's CE Primary School and accommodate the pupils at St Andrew's CE Primary School was made because of the size, popularity and better educational standards of St Andrew's.

The father of a child at St Paul's said: "Our views are being ignored. Bureaucrats are riding roughshod over the democratic wishes of the people."

St Andrew's governing body said the option could only be successfully implemented if there was careful and considerable investment at the school.

The proposal to close both St John's CE Primary School and St Mark's CE Primary School in Bury and create a new primary school on the St John's school site was chosen because St John's was said to offer the greatest opportunity for development on a much larger site.

The governing body of St Mark's had wanted the new school to be located at its site.

Headteacher Ken Parkes said: "More credence should be given to the amount of money that has been ploughed into St Mark's."

Executive member for lifelong learning Coun Steve Perkins said: "In the short term it would be very pleasant to do nothing, but the ramifications would soon bite all schools.

"If we don't take action on these proposals, we'll just have to come back with other proposals for other schools."

The scrutiny and review panel are now expected to hold a special meeting on April 24 to consider the recommendations.

Commenting on the decision to go to the Scrutiny panel, St Paul's campaigner Andrew Todd said: "At least it means the facts will come out. The fight goes on and we will get even more organised."

Mr Baker added: "I think it's a foregone conclusion, but any delay on a final decision is welcome."

Councillors also supported the recommendations to close Fishpool Infant School and St Chad's CE Junior School in Bury and create a new primary school in the two existing school buildings, and to close Radcliffe Infant and Radcliffe Junior Schools and create a new primary school in the two existing buildings.

Neither of these proposals attracted public objections at the meeting.