Statement by Councillor Laurie Bidwell moving Labour's Amendment to the Council's Capital Plan 2012/2016 at the Budget Meeting on Thursday 9 February 2012
I wish to move our amendment to the Capital Plan.
Make no mistake we support the planned investment in two new Primary Schools, in Menzieshill and Coldside, and £1 million for the extension of Barnhill Primary School and a fund of £1.75 million for the refurbishment of seven primary schools; about £250,000 per school. What we propose is more investment in our schools.
We justify our amendment for the following reasons. Firstly, if we look at the underlying trend in capital spending, investment in refurbishing and building new schools is reduced over the period of this plan. This must be disappointing news for electors who believed SNP Councillors who promised to match Labour's school building programme brick for brick.
Secondly the budget for refurbishment and extensions and is too small. Most significant is the absence of spending earmarked for our four older secondary schools. Baldragon Academy opened over fifty years ago as Kirkton High School in 1960 and Craigie High School, Menzieshill High School and Braeview Academy all built forty years ago in the early 1970's. Speaking recently to the Press, the Leader of the Administration, Councillor Ken Guild, referred to Our Ladies RC Primary School and Rosebank Primary School in the Hilltown as past their sell by date. If that is true, and I agree with his judgement, that makes our older Secondary Schools deserving of refurbishment funding too. We have therefore re-profiled the capital spend so that there is an additionally £1.4 million as a fund to be allocated to priority refurbishment and building projects in secondary and primary schools with priorities decided at the Education Committee.
I think pupils and teachers studying and teaching in our four older Secondary Schools will wonder why they have been abandoned for the next five years and don't even manage an entry in the Later Years column of the plan. There is a gulf between our shiny new two PPP secondary schools St Paul's RC Academy and Grove Academy, the rebuilt Morgan Academy, the substantially refurbished St John's RC High School the eventually to be rebuilt Harris Academy and the remaining four older secondary schools. No other political group on the Council has identified this issue. We think the provision of this fund boosted by the additional cash coming for Education of the Scottish government's budget yesterday will provide some pockets of hope to schools left off the list by the Administration's Capital Plan.
Our re-profiling of the capital plan delays by a year the spending on New or Refurbished Centralised offices and other facilities for the new Environment Department. Having received a briefing about this from the Director of Environmental Services, a one year delay will allow more time to rethink the rationale for this development and the appearance of more robust options and plans to be brought forward for committee approval. We can't prioritise spending on Council Offices on the basis of back of the envelope plans at the expense of cheese paring investment in our older schools.
So the choice is clear today, go with this plan and cut out spending on any of our older schools such as the four older Secondary schools. If you vote against this, I think voters in the catchment areas of our older schools will wonder why you blundered today.
Support our amendment and prioritise more investment in school building instead of more new staff offices.
I so move.
