Row as minister urged to rule on schools axe

THE education secretary has been asked to examine Aberdeen City Council’s school closure proposals amid fears that they may breach government guidelines.

North East MSP Mark McDonald has written to Mike Russell raising concerns that strict conditions on the need to demonstrate an educational improvement from closures would not be met.

However, the SNP member faced a stinging backlash from North East Labour MSP Richard Baker, who said it was “extraordinary” for his counterpart to have got involved at such an early stage in a process that is set out in legislation.

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