War of words as MacAskill calls on schools chief to quit

AN SNP Cabinet minister today called on Edinburgh's education convener to resign if she cannot deliver new schools for the city.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill launched an outspoken attack on Liberal Democrat Marilyne MacLaren after she repeated her plea for more government cash to pay for the replacement or refurbishment of five schools.

Mr MacAskill, who is MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, said the council – run by a Lib Dem-SNP coalition – had received all the funding it was going to get. Under the concordat agreed between the Government and all local authorities, he said it was now up to the council to decide how to finance new school-building projects.

He said: "The delay is down to Marilyne MacLaren. She cannot or will not understand the document she signed up for.

"The time has come that she either delivers these schools, particularly Portobello, or she should resign because she is clearly not capable of doing the job she was elected to. What we need is less flanelling by her, blaming everybody and her auntie and calling for additional funds."

His comments followed yesterday's unveiling of the Scottish Futures Trust, the Government's alternative to private finance initiatives.

Councillor MacLaren welcomed the move, but said the council would still need substantial help from the Government to meet the £165 million cost of the next phase of the schools programme, which includes Portobello, James Gillespie's and Boroughmuir high schools, along with St John's Primary and St Crispin's Special School.

Mr MacAskill said the council might decide not to do all the schools the same way. He said: "Portobello could almost be built out of selling the ground plus a capital receipt from somewhere."

He added: "If we gave money to Edinburgh, we would have Glasgow, Aberdeen all saying: 'We need money for schools'.

"This was part of the new relationship between government and local authorities. If she cannot read joined-up writing and is unwilling to commit, she should resign as education convener."

He said there was a public meeting in Portobello on Monday and challenged Cllr MacLaren to use the occasion to pledge a new school. He said: "She has to stop dilly-dallying, delaying and dithering and commit to a new Portobello High School."

Cllr MacLaren hit back and said she had no intention of quitting.

She said: "Kenny MacAskill is talking a lot of nonsense and he doesn't understand anything about local government finance."

She did not accept the concordat left the council to foot the entire cost of the school- building programme.

"We did not agree to fund £165m of schools on top of everything else," she said. "To borrow £165m on the market would mean £14m a year in repayments for 30 years, equivalent to a seven per cent increase in the council tax."

She dismissed Mr MacAskill's suggestion for funding a new Portobello High, saying if the new school was built in Portobello Park the council may be obliged to provide replacement land for the community, thus losing the benefit of selling the current site.

Kenny on Marilyne"She should resign because she is clearly not capable of doing the job she was elected to"

"What we need is less flanelling by her, blaming everybody and her auntie"

"She cannot or will not understand the document she signed up for"

"If she cannot read joined-up writing and is unwilling to commit, she should resign"

Marilyne on Kenny
"Kenny MacAskill is talking a lot of nonsense and he doesn't understand anything about local government finance"