No Holyrood pot of gold for schools rebuild, parents told

EDUCATION Secretary Fiona Hyslop has told parents there is no point in the city council asking the Scottish Government for more cash to rebuild an ageing school.

She said in a letter to Portobello for New Schools member Willie Wilson there was "no pot of money" for local councils to bid for, as they had already been allocated "record levels of funding".

Her letter comes as the council prepares to hand in feasibility studies this week to the Scottish Government outlining its plans to replace five crumbling city schools.

Edinburgh's education leaders also recently revealed they would submit formal business cases for each of the "wave three" schools – including Portobello High – by June in the hope of convincing Holyrood to allocate funding for the projects.

But Ms Hyslop said the Scottish Government did not need to approve such business cases as it was up to local authorities to identify their own "funding solutions" for rebuilding schools.

Parents fighting for a new Portobello High School today accused the city's education leader, Councillor Marilyne MacLaren, of using "delaying tactics" by proceeding with the "charade" of submitting business cases while knowing Holyrood's stance.

But Cllr MacLaren said the amount of capital funding available for the council as a whole over the next three years was £155 million, while the cost of the wave three project alone was £165m.

She said the council had set aside £33m over the next six years for the project and needed the Scottish Government to provide the other 80 per cent.

But Mr Wilson said that Ms Hyslop's letter spelled out "in black and white" the money would not be available.

He said: "Marilyne MacLaren is putting together a bid for the wave three schools to go to Holyrood which she must know will be refused.

"The question is, why are they doing this? Are they afraid to make the decisions that have to be made on how to spend the available money?

"I think the council is treating us like children, like we don't understand, when we can see in black and white that the money isn't available. The whole thing is a charade."

Cllr MacLaren said the business cases for the schools had to be prepared regardless, as they are part of the planning process.

She said the council needed the Scottish Government to provide a source of funding, as borrowing £165m for the project would cost £14m per year in repayment and interest charges.

"We can see that Edinburgh has massive bills we have to pay," she said. "Right now, the cost of the wave three schools is £165m, and we only have £155m to spend as a council."