YESTERDAY, Tony Blair was asked to step into a row over the threatened closure of Ponthir School - and he promised to examine why the local council wants to shut it down.
His intervention came after Monmouth's new Tory MP, David Davies, questioned why a Labour council supported the school's closure when education is such a high priority with the government.
The prime minister told the MP: "I don't know anything about the circumstances of this particular case, but I am quite happy to look into it." Mr Davies had spoken up at Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons to press Mr Blair to intervene.
He told him that parents were meeting the council to argue against the closure of a "well-supported school" by a local council that was "running short of money".
However, Mr Blair admitted: "these are decisions that have to be taken at local level".
Mr Davies later told the Argus: "I am pleased he is going to look into it and I await his response."
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