Schools row is taken to Holyrood
Written by author on September 3, 2015
THE row over cash delays for the school projects at Dumfries and Dalbeattie is set to go to the Scottish Parliament.
Dumfriesshire MSP Elaine Murray is set to challenge Scottish Finance Minister John Swinney in Parliament on September 9 following continued concerns of a delay in funding for Dumfries & Galloway Council’s ‘Schools for the Future’ programme due to flaws in the Government’s Scottish Future Trust (SFT) ‘Hub’ funding model.
Flaws in the funding model were identified by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), and failure of the Scottish Government to deliver funding on time could drive up costs of the Schools for the Future programme, with the costs of the Dalbeattie Learning Campus side of the programme increasing by £200,000 for every month delayed alone.
Dr Murray said: “Dumfries & Galloway Council, local parents, teachers and pupils, and local contractors are being left in absolute limbo by the Scottish Government. There has been a total lack of communication from Mr Swinney, and it puts into question how seriously the Finance Minister is taking the implications of the situation for the region.
“If the Scottish Government fail to come up with the promised funding for the Schools for the Future programme in full and on time, this will delay any new schools being built and will be devastating for local jobs and the local economy.
“Mr Swinney needs to stop hiding from this situation and be open with all stakeholders, particularly local people who are eagerly waiting for these much needed education regeneration projects. If further costs are indeed caused by the Scottish Government’s delays, then it’s only right that Dumfries and Galloway Council are compensated.”
