Nick Ferrari has blasted nanny state Britain after school closures amid Met Office snow and ice weather warnings. The LBC presenter told listeners of his regular morning show it is now the “default position” to close everything down when there’s a bit of snow.
His claim comes after Flintshire Council was criticised by parents and politicians for closing 88 secondaries, primaries and special schools on Thursday (February 8) over the Met Office’s amber warning for snow, though none fell.
Mr Ferrari said: “It does seem now the default position is to close everything down. We’re going to have a bit of snow, close everything down. If there’s any place where that shouldn’t be, surely it should be in our schools.
“We need to show children how to be resilient. Yes, I appreciate you might have to spend the first break clearing up – which I remember doing as a child, and actually we all quite enjoyed it – that is what should be.
“A place of education, such as a school, is not just teaching children how to read or how to write… it is also learning lessons for life.”
Mr Ferrari went on to say: “The way this nation has become risk averse… Why is [there] this constant mollycoddling? What about when you’re driving along the motorway and the sign on the gantry says, ‘Be sure to take a break’ or ‘Don’t drive if tired’ or whatever.
“What will the next one be? Wear a vest when it’s cold?”
The amber warning covered parts of North Wales and applied from 8am on Thursday until 3pm amid concerns of up to 25cm of snow falling.
Flintshire Council’s emergency planning team closed all schools after the Met Office upgraded the alert from yellow to amber just before 10am.
Rob Roberts, MP for Delyn, posted photos of his morning walk which showed rain but no snow. He said: “Another day of schooling lost for the pupils who have already lost so many in the past few years.
“Another load of expense for parents having to find childcare at short notice or take days off work to look after their children. This is the high-quality decision making you pay your council tax for, folks. Top level stuff.”
Janet Finch-Saunders, a Conservative member of Welsh Senedd, said: “We’ve become too risk averse. I just feel it was a very poor show. Our children need educating – they’ve been held back enough because of Covid.”
Resident, Timothy Cossa, said: “Absolute disgrace, closing all schools, causing parents to lose money due to not being able to work.
“Council should be held liable for making such mistakes, these decisions should be made on the day when proof closures are required is evident – not the day before. Get your act together. The system in this borough is shameful.”
Flintshire Council’s cabinet member for education, Mared Eastwood, apologised for the disruption, but said the local authority had hoped advance arrangements could be made for online learning by announcing its decision on Wednesday.
She told the BBC: “We recognise the childcare difficulties that arise for parents but we were trying to minimise the disruption – an amber warning is significant because it does recommend essential journeys only.
“It’s not just the weather in your particular school that needs to be taken into account. The amber warning is expected to be lifted for tomorrow and it is expected that the schools will be open.”
Neal Cockerton, Flintshire Council’s Chief Executive, told MailOnline the decision to close schools was taken by the local authority’s Emergency Management Response Team (EMRT) based on data provided by the Met Office on Wednesday afternoon as well as tactical information presented by the police at a regional emergency meeting.
He added: “An amber warning means only essential travel is advised, and only if safe to do so. As a Council, we took a proactive approach rather than waiting for a potentially risky situation to develop.
“Our aim was to avoid children being stranded at bus stops should school transport have to be cancelled or face being sent home during the day which is more difficult to manage.
“While we understand some parents and carers may feel frustrated by the decision, it was taken in the best interests of the communities we serve.”
