Reform cabinet members are set to revoke a previously agreed £1 million spend and a 125-year lease for the proposed free school at Reedswood Park in Walsall. The decision will be made at their next meeting on August 26, according to a report that states the Department for Education (DfE) has agreed to the withdrawal of the funds and lease.
Background of the school project
In February 2026, the then Conservative cabinet approved the £1 million payment to cover 'abnormal costs' associated with building a 1,000-place free school at Reedswood Park. They also approved the long-term lease of the woodland for the new £50 million facility, which was funded by the DfE.
The project is currently subject to planning permission. The previous agreement stated that if the DfE failed to obtain permission, the lease would not be completed and the payment would not be made. Conservative leaders at the time backed the decision and praised that a £1 million spend would result in £50 million of investment in education in Walsall.
Opposition and criticism
The project has faced significant criticism because it would result in the loss of 13.7 acres of woodland that is home to birds, bats, reptiles, and mammals. It has also faced opposition due to the choice of vehicle access along the congested Reedswood Lane.
Even Councillor Adrian Andrew, the Conservative leader who has supported the scheme as a whole, said that if the access wasn't changed, he 'would oppose it tooth and nail'. Campaigners have been fighting to save the woodlands, and the withdrawal of funds and lease signals a boost to their efforts.
Cabinet walkout during meeting
Reform councillors who had previously expressed their opposition to the plan were asked at the meeting if they would stick to that by campaigners, after being accused of 'chickening out' at the last meeting of full council. However, as campaigners eagerly waited in the public gallery, half of the cabinet walked out.
The walkout followed advice from the council's monitoring officer, who said that members with 'relevant interests must keep an open mind' as a live planning application awaits determination. The next cabinet meeting on August 26 will now consider the revocation of the £1 million spend and the 125-year lease to the DfE, pending the report's recommendations.
