It was with disbelief that I read the comments by Pat Hawkes that it is time to say "enough is enough" with regard to East Brighton College of Media Arts (Comart) and that Brighton and Hove City Council officers are backing closure (The Argus, Sept 1).

Perhaps Councillor Hawkes and others need reminding that Marina High School was closed and Comart re-opened under the Labour Party's Fresh Start initiative.

This was against the wishes of the parents, yet they pushed ahead. It was they who continued to praise the values of the college when something was clearly wrong.

Now, when the college has been praised by Ofsted, they claim "enough is enough". Once again, they have failed to listen to the parents, pupils, teachers and staff. Let me dispel a few myths the council seems to be putting about.

Comart is not a failing school. While it has had its problems and the structure of the school needs changing, this common misconception is an insult to teachers, staff and pupils who have worked so hard over the past few years to turn the school around.

Parents do want to send their children to Comart. While under-subscribed, Comart does not have all the facilities, such as a dedicated special-needs unit, which means parents were advised to send their children elsewhere. The uncertainty of the future has not helped - the council should bear responsibility for this.

Coun Hawkes said closure would cost money. So how can it be justified? Isn't our children's education a priority? A well-run local community school could be economically viable.

This is not the final decision. Unelected council officers do not dictate whether a school closes or not. The campaign to keep the school open will continue and expand.

This is not just an attack on the education of our children but also an attack on Whitehawk itself. Has all the work done by local groups over the past few years been for nothing?

I believe local people will respond in the only ways they can - by putting their children's first preference as Comart, by joining the campaign to save the school and, if all else fails, telling our councillors "enough is enough - we can no longer support you".

-Kevin Dale, Whitehawk, Brighton