A DECISION on whether to divert £8m of funding from a Poole school has been deferred by councillors.

The money had been allocated to the rebuild Hillbourne School in Creekmoor in 2008. But Borough of Poole said it had been forced to consider diverting it elsewhere to provide extra school places in areas with a rising birth rate.

Councillors at Tuesday night’s Poole Full Council meeting voted to defer for a proper scrutiny by 37 to 3 after an amendment proposed by the Creekmoor ward councillors.

Lib-Dem group leader Cllr Michael Brooke told the meeting that “these proposals represent a catalogue of broken promises, deception, duplicity and the denial of the proper democratic process and therefore a lack of openness and transparency.”

The longed-for rebuild would finally unite Hillbourne school underone roof after being housed in two neighbouring buildings since the first and middle schools amalgamated in 2006.

It would also mean an end to the run down buildings – identified by the council as in the worst condition of any school in the borough.

But, without guarantees that the government will provide enough money in future funding rounds, that dream is under threat.

Sonya Allan, who has three children at Hillbourne and joined the protest before the meeting, said: “Obviously it would have been lovely to have gone there tonight and them to have gone yes you can have your rebuild. It’s not a no and we are glad it’s being looked into properly.

“If they had planned properly then we wouldn’t be here now.

“They messed up - they didn’t plan for these children.”

Due to a baby boom, the council must expand eight other schools to provide places for 150 extra children. Under the proposal, the money would go to Sylvan First, Longfleet Combined, St Aldhelm’s Combined and Talbot Combined schools which need more spaces from September next year.

Cash would also go to Baden-Powell School which needs to expand by 2012 and Branksome Heath Middle and Heatherlands First schools will need more space by 2013.

Additional classroom places are also being provided at Lilliput First School.