Gove 'made school deal with council'
Campaigners called for a parliamentary inquiry yesterday into allegations that Michael Gove overruled advice not to sell off a school's playing fields in return for the local Tory council funding a controversial free school in the same borough.
An independent panel last month rejected an attempt to sell off tennis courts and other sporting facilities at the Elliott School in Putney, south-west London, following an outcry from local campaigners. But days later the Education Secretary overruled the decision, paving the way for the school to be turned into an academy and the playing fields to be turned into housing.
The GMB union, which represents school support staff, accused Mr Gove and Tory-run Wandsworth council of a "backroom stitch-up" yesterday, alleging that Mr Gove had overturned the playing fields decision at Elliott as a "quid pro quo" for Wandsworth funding a free school in nearby Battersea.
Last year, the council bought up defunct hospital land in Battersea for £13m to be converted into a free school, which will open next month as Bolingbroke Academy. Both Elliott Academy and Bolingbroke Academy are to be run by ARK Schools, a charity which has 11 academies across Britain and was founded by the millionaire financier Arpad Busson.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/gove-made-school-deal-with-council-8060068.html
For Fast Show lovers like myself the picture of Gove crys out "today I'll be eating mainly......." 
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