Oliver today convened a meeting with Hertfordshire County Council to urge them to make sure the right plans are in place for future school capacity in Hertsmere.

Oliver met at County Hall with Cllr Terry Douris, Cabinet Member for Education, and his deputy Cllr Mark Mills-Bishop, alongside council officials.

Speaking after the meeting, Oliver said: ‘I know how concerned people are about making sure all our children have access to a good school place. I owe a debt of gratitude for the excellent state education I received at Parmiter’s, near Bushey, and improving schools is one of the main reasons I entered politics.

‘That’s why I met again with Hertfordshire County Council, to press them on their plans for delivering good school future places for our borough.

‘This is important as both Hertsmere and Welwyn Hatfield Borough Councils have now published the list of potential sites that have been offered for future housing development.

‘We must build the houses we need to provide homes for our children and grandchildren, but these must not be at the expense of the landscape that makes the area special and must be matched by the right infrastructure.’

This meeting was the latest in a long running campaign by Oliver to secure more resources for Hertsmere’s schools. He added: ‘I was pleased to secure assurances that plans to enhance school capacity are in place. In the short term this will take the form of investing in existing schools to improve their facilities and increase capacity. Subsequently if our communities grow, they will then begin the development of new primary and secondary schools to serve Hertsmere.

‘At the same time, I continue to lobby my ministerial colleagues in the Government to ensure our schools receive the funding the deserve.

‘I will continue to push this issue to make sure these commitments are met.’