THE proposal to establish an academy trust in South Bank seems to be a creative response to the difficult situation resulting from the 2011 Education Act and cuts in council budgets (The Press, March 23).

Headteachers in South Bank recognise the importance of supportive partners to enable them to provide the best education for pupils in their area.

There was a time when schools could rely on the local authority to provide this supportive partnership through a range of free specialist support services and advisors.

No longer. Massive cuts to local authority funding have seen these services eroded.

Once, local authorities could build new schools in response to local need. No longer. The 2011 Education Act requires all new schools to be academies or free schools, potentially leading to patchy provision and to an increase in competition between local schools rather than cooperation which the South Bank head teachers recognise as being so important.

The Green Party believes education should be at the heart of communities and oppose any attempt to privatise state-funded schools.

We would integrate academies and free schools back into the local authority system and restore to councils the capacity to build new schools and provide school support services.

Helen Johnson, Green Party Candidate for Micklegate, Tadcaster Road, Dringhouses, York.