HAMPSHIRE County Council leader Ken Thornber is being urged to press on with £750,000 worth of repair work at Hythe Primary School.

Members of Hythe and Dibden Parish Council heard that Mr Thornber had deferred his decision until October 16 on whether to go ahead with major rebuilding work to replace temporary classrooms.

County Councillor Brian Dash explained that a considerable amount of work was carried out on the Victorian school in the mid-1990s, but there were insufficient funds to complete the removal of the temporary buildings.

The decision comes at a time when county education chiefs are carrying out a review of primary education in the Waterside area and some schools face a threat of closure because of a fall in the birth rate and decreasing pupil numbers.

"But," said Cllr Dash, "I have assured him Mr Thornber that this work has no connection with the review of primary places in our parish.

"Its sole purpose is to provide facilities for children at Hythe Primary School equivalent to those available to the overwhelming majority of other children in Hampshire. I remain hopeful that the project will be approved."

There was immediate support from parish councillors and Cllr George Dawson said: "We should be ensuring that our children are not taught in temporary classrooms."

It was agreed that a letter should be sent to the county council.