The General Election has dropped a spanner in the works.  At present the hold-up is the Secretary of State for Education, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP.  Without his agreement the consultation with the community cannot take place.  The community consultation takes six weeks to complete and must not run into the school holidays, so if the Education Secretary agrees any time up to the end of August then the consultation can begin in early September.  Without that consultation, and the agreement of the community, Birmingham City Council cannot complete the amalgamation.  If the consultation goes well it then has to be passed by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 24th. November.  The new Primary School can then open in January 2011.