Two thirds of council buildings in Moray are no longer “fit for purpose” – and would cost more than £69million to bring up to scratch.
Half that cost is for work needing done to prevent an immediate closure, or to address a health and safety risk over the next five years.
And the shock figures also reveal that 80% of school buildings across the region are not fit for purpose.
Last night, council leader Stewart Cree said the local authority had been adopting a “make do and mend attitude” in recent years, which has now become unsustainable.
He said: “It’s nothing new to us, we have a large school estate. What is new is that there has been another year of deterioration in another year where our funding has been reduced.
“It makes it difficult. It sounds like councillors are greeting about funding but we are way beyond simple carping.
“We are at the stage where cutting things just won’t work. We could cut everything and we wouldn’t be able to afford the £58.9million needed for school maintenance.”
Councillors are due to meet tomorrow to agree a working group should carry out a rolling series of property reviews.
Three schools highlighted in the report – which has been produced for the policy and resources committee – are Buckie High, Keith Grammar and Elgin High, where work has already started on a replacement. Refurbishment projects are also underway at Seafield, Millbank, Applegrove and St Gerardine primary schools.
Mr Cree said: “We are continuing to review the school provision on an area basis. Some time in the future there will be proposals to rationalise the school estate, in some way.”
Buckie councillor Gordon McDonald said the high school in the town should be replaced.
He said: “It’s about the oldest building in the portfolio. We’re seeing Elgin High having to be replaced and now we are looking at Lossiemouth being replaced – Buckie is far older.
“The actual structure of the building is fine. It really isn’t suitable for modern teaching though, like sciences.”
Mr McDonald added: “The situation is unsustainable at the moment. We clearly have to cut our cloth accordingly. We should have been doing it a long time ago.”
The report also shows that 71% of depots and workshops are not for purpose, as well as 41% of community facilities and 20% of corporate offices.
Figures in the report are dated March 31 last year. Tomorrow councillors are due to agree that an updated report should be prepared for the next meeting of the committee.
