Dave Thompson MSP

Work to complete the refurbishment of one of the largest secondary schools in the Highlands should not be left unfinished, said the education minister in response to a question from Highlands and Islands MSP Dave Thompson.

Mike Russell gave his view on the subject after Mr Thompson used Education Question Time at Holyrood on Thursday February 3 to ask for the minister's backing in urging The Highland Council to complete a £58 million refurbishment of Lochaber High School, rather than leave the final stage of the project uncompleted.

Mr Thompson decided to air the worries of parents, pupils and staff on the floor of parliament after these were raised with him on a recent visit to the school when he was told of a concern that The Highland Council, after already completing Phases One and Two of a major refurbishment of the school, was preparing to abandon or delay completion of Phase Three, which includes the refurbishment of four classroom blocks, a new canteen, social areas for pupils, toilets, an administration block, a library, the installation of a new woodchip heating system, a sports pitch and a car park, in addition to relaying the covering on existing sections of roof.

Mr Thompson praised The Highland Council for completing the first two phases but noted that no provision had been made in the organisation's new Capital Plan for the completion of the final stage.

He asked, "Will the minister encourage Highland Council to finish the job so that Lochaber’s schoolchildren do not have to be educated in substandard accommodation?"

The Cabinet Secretary pointed out that, despite the capital cuts imposed on Scotland by the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Government at Westminster, there were still hundreds of millions of pounds being proposed by the SNP government in the draft 2011-2012 budget for Education and Lifelong learning.

He went on to note that his officials had contacted the local authority and gained an understanding that it remains committed to completing the work and is seeking to identify sources of further funds.

After the parliament session ended Mr Thompson said: “I am gratified by the Cabinet Secretary’s support and hope that this further pressure will move The Highland Council to a rapid review and timetable for completion of this important last phase."

Note:

Extract from the Scottish parliament's Official Report:

Dave Thompson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP):
6. To ask the Scottish Government what capital expenditure provision it has made for education for 2011-12. (S3O-12850)

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (Michael Russell): The 2011-12 draft budget includes £162.1 million of capital expenditure for the education and lifelong learning portfolio. In addition, up to a further £100 million of capital investment in education facilities will be supported via the non-profit-distributing programme announced in the budget.

Dave Thompson: Highland Council has made major improvements to Lochaber high school in two phases in recent years. However, with the completion of phase 2, progress is in jeopardy, as the council has made no provision in its capital plan for the completion of the third and final phase. That will leave a large part of the school in a very unsatisfactory condition. Will the minister encourage Highland Council to finish the job so that Lochaber’s schoolchildren do not have to be educated in substandard accommodation?

Michael Russell: I am certainly opposed to children being educated in substandard accommodation and I am pleased that this Government has done so much to change that situation in Scotland.

Funding for completing the Lochaber high school refurbishment is, of course, first and foremost a matter for the council, which can identify money from the resources that are available to it. I understand that Highland Council remains committed to completing the work and that it seeks to identify further resources from a number of funding streams within its revised capital programme. It is investing significant sums in its school estate.

Certainly, where there are problems, we would wish councils to treat them seriously and we would like this issue to come to fruition as soon as possible.