SCOTTISH COUNCILS WELCOME NEW MONEY FOR SCHOOL BUILDINGS

Local authorities in Scotland have welcomed a 30 million pound boost to the money available for improvements for school buildings – but they have warned that more investment will be needed in the future. The additional funding was announced by Scottish Education Minister Peter Peacock.

Charlie Gray the education spokesperson for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities said all pupils and teachers deserved to learn and work in the best possible environment and the additional money would go some way towards achieving that. COSLA, he said, had long argued that councils needed more money to fund school infrastructure improvements.

“The arithmetic is simple. Local government’s delivery of increased teacher numbers and smaller class sizes naturally adds up to a need for more classrooms. Multiply this by the cost of attractive, modern, environmentally friendly buildings, and you will appreciate why we have argued for substantial investment in Scotland’s school infrastructure,” he said.

The announcement of the extra 30 million pounds, he said, showed that the Scottish Executive had been listening to local government. Everyone acknowledged more investment would be required in the future but the new money demonstrated the shared commitment of local authorities and the Executive to Scotland’s schools.