MISTAKES have led to the mayor being accused of "incompetence".

Mayor of Lewisham Steve Bullock has acknowledged blunders were made while planning a new school at Ladywell.

He told a meeting of Lewisham Council's overview and scrutiny committee last week there were mistakes when trying to choose a site for the new school.

The mayor also admitted a formal notice issued in February, saying the new school would be temporarily located in Leahurst Road, was flawed.

In January the same site had been approved for the expansion of Northbrook School as part of a £150m plan to renovate every secondary in the borough.

Then less than eight weeks later the Government told Lewisham Council it was at risk of losing the money if it used the temporary site for the new Ladywell school.

This resulted in a two-year delay to the new four form school, which will now open on the Ladywell Leisure Centre site in 2009.

At the meeting Mr Bullock was questioned over why plans to use land at the former Ladywell police station, originally earmarked for the new school, fell through.

He admitted relying on the willingness of the police to sell the site to the council, despite the Metropolitan Police Authority never returning its letters.

Mr Bullock also announced his decisions were always based on advice from officers.

He said: "Unless there is a very powerful reason, I shall not substitute my personal prejudices for the professional advice of council officers."

Lib Dem councillor Julia Fletcher said: "I find it unbelievable the Lewisham Mayor believes he has no role in decision making and expects to rubber stamp everything put before him by officers.

"It just shows once again how out of touch he is with the wishes of the people in the borough.

"The whole decision-making process is a mixture of incompetence and unrealism."

Save Ladywell Pool campaign's Max Calo said: "Steve Bullock is a politician who is writing his own epitaph, so complacent, not driving along the political process to make a proper decision."