A COUNCIL leader is warning his party's members that time is running out for a campaign to end the 11 Plus in Trafford.

Trafford council leader David Acton, and cabinet member for education, Cllr Peter Mitchell, have written to party members urging them to help the Stop The Eleven Plus (STEP) campaign group, which needs several thousand more signatures by the end of June to trigger a ballot on the future of selective education.

The letter says: "Research evidence suggests that comprehensive secondary schools enable the brightest pupils to do just as well in selective schools, and the majority of children to do better."

Cllrs Acton and Mitchell say that the council cannot take an active part in the campaign, but many Labour party members feel strongly about it as individuals.

They want members to help by stuffing envelopes, delivering letters to parents and collecting signatures.

Graham Brady, MP for Altrincham and Sale West, pointed out that ministers in the Commons had insisted they were leaving it to parents to decide whether to scrap grammar schools and suggested they would not take a stand on the issue.

Mr Brady, who is in favour of selective education, said: "Until a week after the local elections the Labour party did not campaign on this issue.

"They are playing a very cynical political game. They tried to conceal their beliefs at election time. If they had campaigned openly to destroy grammar schools before the elections, they would have lost."

Cllr Mitchell said that he and cllr Acton should be allowed to have a say in the matter as parents.

He said: "I have three roles - as a spokesman for the council, as a party politician and as an individual. I am governed by different rules according to the role I am playing.

"This letter was written by us as individuals. It was sent to Labour party members, as individuals, because we thought they would be sympathetic to this cause."

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