IT’S about time Northumberland County Council “backed off” and allowed Haydon Bridge High School’s long-awaited academy conversion to be completed.

That’s the message from local county councillor Alan Sharp, who has called for the school’s future to be secured.

Back in December, the local authority unveiled a plan to close Haydon Bridge High, which has been in special measures for three years, following a damning Ofsted report in February 2015.

But the plan, which included merging the school with Hexham’s Queen Elizabeth High School, and the building of a new £46m school in Hexham, was thrown out by the Government in January.

The county council responded by indicating it could launch a legal challenge in a bid to overturn the decision.

However, the Government pressed ahead with its original plan for Haydon Bridge to become a sponsored academy under the direction of the Bright Tribe Trust and in February appointed an interim executive board to progress the conversion process.

Speaking at at last Thursday’s meeting of Haydon Parish Council, Coun. Sharp said he had received a letter from the local authority, stating it had not yet made a decision on how to proceed.

Coun. Sharp added: “The county council should let Bright Tribe get on and run the school. It is about time Northumberland County Council backed off.

“I believe the politics should stop and we should let Bright Tribe get on and manage the school.”

The new IEB is chaired by Ruth Dolan, who has served as a governance consultant for various schools and academies in different parts of the country.

Mrs Dolan has worked for existing Bright Tribe academies, and also local authorities.

Vice-chairman of the new IEB is Jonathan Parkinson, who is currently headteacher at St Thomas More Catholic School in Blaydon, rated “outstanding” by Ofsted at its latest inspection.

Linda Bamford, who has experience in developing school support programmes, is also a member.

l Calls were made at the parish council meeting for the redundant fire station site in the village to be turned into a new boarding wing for the high school.

Local resident Stuart Bisset, came up with the idea, following the county council’s decision to close the fire station and put the site up for sale for £150,000. The school’s boarding wing at Ridley Hall closed earlier this month.

Mr Bisset said: “This could be a great opportunity for the school to have a boarding wing right on the doorstep, and a new multi-use facility could be used by the wider community.”

Parish councillors backed the plan, but repeated previous concerns, that the fire station site could be sold to a housing developer.