Schools campaign group insists it is independent of county council.

A campaign group backing Northumberland's school reorganisation last night insisted it was completely independent, even though one of its main organisers is employed by the authority behind the plan.

Liz Freeman, who is chairman of governors at Malvins Close First School in Blyth, is one of the organisers of the Go2 campaign in Northumberland that has backed plans to close middle schools in the county. But now a number of parents fighting the shake-up have questioned Go2's independence from the county council because Ms Freeman is employed by Northumberland County Council's education department.

The Blyth mother yesterday insisted that she had helped set up the group purely as a concerned parent and governor, and was backed by Northumberland's cabinet member for education Councillor Jim Wright. A number of parents have criticised Go2, but both the council and the campaign group insist they operate separately.

Ms Freeman said: "Under no circumstances was I put up to this by the county council. The fact that I work in a branch of the education department is totally irrelevant. As a parent of children in first and middle schools, I've formed an opinion and I wanted to put that forward. My job has nothing to do with Putting the Learner First and I don't work in County Hall."

Coun Wright said: "There's no involvement between the council and Go2 at all, though I welcome the involvement of any groups that take an active interest in these issues."

But Ed Brown, a pro-middle school campaigner from Langley, near Hexham, said: "Coun Wright states that Go2 is not a county council fronted organisation but was set up by headteachers.

"Coun Wright ignores the fact that the original email promoting the formation of Go2 was sent from the Education Department, using internal email distribution lists." Ms Freeman, who works in the council's education welfare office in Blyth, wrote to a number of parents from her county council email account asking them to back Go2.