Councillors and community groups yesterday came out swinging in response to a shock decision to cancel the Highland Council capital budget meeting.
The council says it can’t set its investment priorities until the Scottish Government confirms it will fund some of its long-awaited new schools.
Privately, some senior councillors fear the Scottish Government may offer the council a far smaller sum than it had hoped, leaving members to fight in the chamber over whose school gets the cash.
Emotions are bound to run high, since the schools in the balance include a new build for pupils with additional support needs and a primary school ravaged by fire.
Yesterday, Highland communities told the P&J they won’t give up hope.
Meanwhile, councils across the north and north-east confirmed that they too, are still waiting for a decision from the Scottish Government on its Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP).
Moray Council said they hope to have an answer by the end of this month, but others said they’re in the dark.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government simply said they’ll make an announcement “soon”.
‘They haven’t kept their promise’
Highland Council has bids in to the LEIP programme for five new schools.
Their first application is a bundle of three primaries: Beauly, Dunvegan (Skye) and Park (Invergordon), the latter having burned down in a devastating fire in 2020.
It’s also put in a bid for Tornagrain Primary to serve the growing population north east of Inverness.
Finally, the long-awaited replacement for St Clement’s School in Dingwall.
As a school for children with additional support needs, the fabric of the building is particularly important. Yet inspectors branded it unsuitable nearly a decade ago and MSP Kate Forbes likened it to “something out of Oliver Twist”.
Yesterday, Dingwall councillor Margaret Paterson told the P&J she “can’t even entertain the thought” that the community won’t get its new school.
“I am concerned, but I have to stay positive because the new school just has to go ahead,” she said. “There’s no way we can’t deliver. As time goes on, it’s getting worse and worse and there’s no way we can just put a sticking plaster on it.”
Mrs Paterson has lobbied the council for a new St Clement’s for years, and had a supportive ear from the chamber.
“Most councillors agree that it’s urgent but the Scottish Government won’t give us a date and they haven’t kept their promise,” she says.
“I’ll fight tooth and nail to ensure St Clement’s gets the school it deserves.”
Councillors in emergency full-day budget talks
Yesterday, councillors convened for an all-day briefing to go over the options for the capital programme. The plan agreed in 2021 detailed more than £1 billion of investments, including several new schools reliant on Scottish Government LEIP funding.
However, with costs increasing by 20-40% and inflation out of control, the council has already admitted it needs to throw out the plan and start again. All projects already looked uncertain, but the delay from the Scottish Government side means members feel they don’t have enough information to make any decisions.
Opposition leader Alasdair Christie branded the decision to postpone the capital budget “unacceptable”. But council leader Raymond Bremner yesterday accused Mr Christie of playing politics.
“Councillor Christie was invited to a meeting of all group leaders last Thursday,” said Mr Bremner. “He was supportive of cancelling the capital programme meeting until further clarification is received in respect of funding submissions. It doesn’t surprise me that, yet again, he has turned this around to get himself a headline in the press.”
Mr Bremner added that all members have the chance to ask questions and inform decision making at the all-day seminar. “That’s the action of a responsible council administration,” he said.
However, the council has yet to set a new date for the capital budget meeting.
‘Everyone will fight to get their own bit’
If the Highland Council receives less than it banked on, there will be a scramble to carve up the smaller pie.
John Laing, chairman of Dunvegan community council on Skye, told the P&J he is “ever hopeful”. He has already accepted that their new primary school is likely to be hit by delays from escalating construction costs. But he says they’ve had repeated assurances that their school will be in the first tranche of funding.
“Of course all this is of great concern to our community, but what can you do?” said Mr Laing.
“Everyone will fight to get their own bit but our local member is also the education chairman and I know councillor Finlayson will do his best for Skye.”
But if Highland Council faces a headache divvying up the schools cash, the Scottish Government has an even bigger one. Councils across Scotland are all contending for LEIP funding and all believe they should be first in line.
A spokesman yesterday did not offer any fresh insight into the verdict saying: “We are currently giving careful consideration to local authorities’ bids for phase three of the Learning Estate Investment Programme and intend to announce the successful bids soon.”
We reached out to councils in the north and north-east to ask if they share Highland Council’s concerns.
Moray expects a response by February
Moray Council submitted a bid to help fund new schools at Forres Academy and Buckie High School, at an estimated cost of £66 million and £75 million, respectively.
Although the council came to a hotly-contested decision to prioritise the Forres project over Buckie, there is still a chance for both to receive funding.
If the bids are successful, the Scottish Government could fund up to 50% of the much-needed school projects.
A spokeswoman for Moray Council said that education officers are expecting the results of their bid by the end of the month.
Islands awaiting Scottish Government schools decision
Orkney Islands Council submitted a bid for £16 million in LEIP funding to support a new, standalone facility for children with additional support needs.
The council estimated that the overall project would cost £40 million and submitted their schools bid to the Scottish Government in October 2022.
A council spokeswoman said that the council considered multiple options, but felt the additional support needs facility would help the most people.
“As well as education provision for children with targeted additional learning needs, this facility would cater for children who are not currently attending full-time education, especially those with neuro-diverse conditions which result in difficulty with behaviour and communication, a rapidly growing area of need in Orkney.”
Further north, Shetland Islands Council is chasing a new build school in Brae to service the north mainland. Council papers estimate the project could cost between £16 – £20 million.
They have submitted a bid to the LEIP which would see the Scottish Government match their schools investment if they meet all of the project conditions.
Neither Orkney nor Shetland councils have had to delay budget talks or put off drafting a capital plan due to the status of their bids.
But all councils are anxiously counting up the pennies in their coffers in the hope of delivering their new schools.
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