WE shall not be moved was the message from Winchester City Council over the sale of land at Whiteley for a new school.

The authority agreed in February to review its stance, following a petition from parents.

However, members confirmed last night that the Meadowside recreation ground is not for sale.

It is the only site in the village that is suitable for a new primary school, Hampshire County Council argues.

The city authority disagrees, and believes that a plot on the village's northern outskirts is more appropriate.

Both of the Tory-run councils have been at loggerheads for months. In the meantime, £4m of Government funding is hanging in the balance.

Hampshire County Council wants to build a new school in Whiteley in partnership with the Portsmouth CE Diocese.

The city council also wants the new school, but argues that Meadowside is too small and should be preserved as an open space.

Whiteley Parish Council agrees with that view, along with hundreds of people who have signed Meadowside Action Group's petition.

However, hundreds of residents have also put their names to a rival petition, which urges the city council to sell up.