WE understand that there may be hundreds, perhaps more, wanting to pay their respects at today’s funeral of one of the young men killed before his time in the terrible accident on the A66.
We understand that roads may have to be temporarily shut and that there may be congestion and inconvenience. But such are the worrying undercurrents in the South Bank area of Middlesbrough that at least six schools and a GPs’ surgery are closing for half-a-day, causing a great loss of education and a huge impact on hundreds of parents who suddenly have to arrange childcare.
If schools are to close for all five funerals, children’s education will be severely damaged and there will be a measurable economic impact on parents.
This is wrong, and it sends worrying messages about the ability of the law and order authorities to keep control of the streets if, as Redcar and Cleveland Council leader Alec Brown suggests, the closures are in part because of fears of “dangerous riding, reckless driving, road blockages or antisocial behaviour”.
Of course the situation needs to be handled extremely sensitively and the schools, which are very close to the ground, are acting in the best interests of their children.
It is to be hoped the funeral passes peacefully, that people can grieve and say their farewells, and that the rest of the community can respectfully go about its day-to-day business.
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