Campaigning parents battling to build a new school in Basildon have won backing for a lobby.

Prospective parliamentary candidate, Dominic Schofield, has vowed to lobby Tory councillors to try to make the new school for Langdon Hills a reality.

He will stand against Basildon and East Thurrock Labour MP Angela Smith at the next election.

Mr Schofield made the pledge after meeting parents from the Campaign for a Local Area Secondary School, Class.

Prospective Conservative county councillor David Walsh has also pledged support for the campaign.

Mr Schofield said: "The figures show that for a long time there has been a shortage of quality education in Basildon, Laindon and Langdon Hills.

"This is a growing area, so the crisis is getting more serious - lots of parents in Langdon Hills now can't get their children into any of the three primary schools."

Class has been battling for a feasibility study for four years, but has been blocked by the LEA.

Conservative county councillors have already backed the campaign, as has Basildon and East Thurrock Labour MP Angela Smith and Labour district and county councillor Bob Sears.

Class has also now been invited to meet Iris Pummell, holder of Essex County Council's education portfolio, and county council officers at County Hall in Chelmsford on September 12, to state the case for a study.

Class chairman Derrick Fellowes said: "I am confident that the study will be granted, but we would want the feasibility study run to strict guidelines.

"We will be using LEA figures to state our case, and I hope that Iris Pummell and her highly-trained, highly-salaried officers will be able to discuss and decide on the study that day."

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