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Article from Evening Telegraph 22 March 1967
Burton Rates 1967 and
Request for New School

A RATE increase of 3d in the pound was approved at Burton Latimer last night, taking it up to 12s 5d, while Rothwell’s stays pegged at 12s. But the Government grant to local authorities will mean that householders will pay 2d less and Rothwell residents will be better off by 5d in the pound.

At
BURTON, Mr D J Ashby, chairman of the Finance and General Purposes Committee said the council had finished the financial year with £9,000 in hand, but added that the estimated expenditure for the coming year was £5,000 above that for the current year. He spoke of the generally healthy financial situation at the improvements that the council had been able to afford during the year.

“Burton Latimer is a growing town and we are pleased with the improvements we have seen around us recently. We wish to make further improvements but this cannot be done without spending.” he said.

ANXIOUS

He went on to say that his committee was anxious to maintain a good balance in hand without raising the rates excessively and added that they had tried to cut a balance between spending and saving.

The chief sources of added expenditure for the council, described by Mr Ashby were the county council’s increased demand of 6d in the pound and the 1 1/2d in the pound demanded by the Water Board. In the case of the Water Board alone this added more than £1,000 to the council’s bill.

Also raised at the meeting was the prospect before teachers at Burton Latimer Primary School of trying to cram 190 children into the school after the Easter holidays. The meeting heard that the school has only four classrooms and in 1968 the number of children demanding places might well rise above 200. In view of the town’s rapid expansion with a large influx of families with small children the fear was expressed that the 200 figure could well be greatly exceeded.

It was stated that requests for a new school went back to 1947 and the county council had done nothing about the situation to date. Members heard that already a hall away from the school was having to be used as an extra class room, and they agreed to take steps to urge the county council to act as a matter of urgency.
Two new schools, Meadowside Infants and Juniors, were provided in 1971 and 1976 to the west of the town.

Click here for further information of the Development of Schooling in the town

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