A LEADING councillor who led plans to reform Wyre Forest schools and shut down a Wolverley special school has been dramatically sacked from her post by other council members.

Tory councillor, June Longmuir, was forced out of her role as the cabinet member for education on Worcestershire County Council through a vote of no confidence by other members.

The district schools shake-up - which will see 15 schools shut in 2007 - along with similar reviews in Redditch and for special schools throughout Worcester-shire were highlighted as reasons for Miss Longmuir to go.

Liberal county councillor, Mike Oborksi, drafted the motion, which was then moved by the county's Health Concern leader, John Gordon.

Mr Oborski said: "It had been clear for some time that Councillor Longmuir had lost the confidence of the majority of the council. It was time for her to go."

Miss Longmuir, who will remain a councillor for Bromsgrove South, lost her job on cabinet when the full council met on Thursday last week.

The cabinet makes all final decisions on education reorganisation.

All parties, apart from the Conservatives - Liberal, Health Concern, Liberal Democrat and Labour - voted for the motion 29 to 23, with two abstentions.

Miss Longmuir, however, said the motion was geared towards the upcoming county council elections in May.

She explained: "I have obviously been at the centre of a political coup because we are now looking at the next election."

Miss Longmuir said the move was to break up the alliance between Labour and the Tories on the county council.

Splits had already appeared when Labour mounted an unsuccessful drive to carry out a poll in Wyre Forest over which schools system residents wanted - after the shake-up plans had been passed.

Miss Longmuir promoted the council's move to shut Alexander Patterson special school in Wolverley during 2003/04.

The school will close at the end of the Easter term.

One of the parents who led a campaign against closure, Rebecca Lathe, said: "I thought that the closure was mis-managed and poorly handled right from the beginning.

"I am pleased that she has gone because somebody should take responsibility for the way parents and staff were treated," she added.

Conservative councillor, Andy Roberts, has replaced Miss Longmuir.

Andy excited about new post on cabinet

JUNE Longmuir's replacement, Andy Roberts, is a former Kidderminster resident whose son was at school where the ousted Miss Longmuir was headteacher.

Mr Roberts, who now lives in Worcester and is a county councillor for the city's Claines ward, said he was excited about becoming cabinet member for education at a crucial time for the schools' shake-up.

The former head of Kidderminster Fire Station, who lived in the town for 19 years, said he was still shocked by the sacking of Miss Longmuir.

He explained: "I honestly didn't anticipate it. I didn't think that elected members would have the gall to do what they did when it came down to it. I thought they would put the needs of the young people in the county first."

Mr Roberts said Kidderminster had "a good workforce, it has lots of potential but, it has got to be said, across the whole thing, that the stay-on rate at Kidderminster isn't brilliant".

The 55-year-old said the town needed "a well educated and skilled workforce" and the shake-up was key to raising standards.

"We owe it to Kidderminster, we owe it to the people," he said.