The Mercury reported ­yesterday that Labor state election candidate Jenny Aitchison said the party would investigate options for new education facilities if it formed government in March.

Ms Aitchison said her key election commitment would be to find ways to deal with the pressure that Maitland’s forecast population growth would put on education, health and road infrastructure.

New schools at Ashtonfield, Branxton, Rutherford and Aberglasslyn were among the most popular suggestions from the community on social media yesterday.

In a post on the Mercury’s Facebook page, Jane Power wrote: “[The school] should be in Branxton. 

“All of our young adults have to [catch the] bus out every school day.

“Branxton is expanding and could use the local employment.”

Meanwhile, Jo Gordon wrote: “We keep pumping all these new estates into the area and no infrastructure to deal with it.”

Amanda Edwards suggested new schools were needed in Aberglasslyn because the existing facilities nearby, in Rutherford, were over full.

“With three new estates in the Rutherford/Aberglasslyn areas I think it’s a major issue,” she wrote.

Labor had previously ­earmarked land in East Maitland for a new public school, but the project was shelved after the party lost government.

While Ms Aitchison has not promised a new school for the area, she said a Labor government would investigate options for a new school in the electorate if the party was successful in March.