The “catastrophic mess” surrounding the saga which saw Dargavel Primary School built far too small has left a “dark cloud” hanging over Renfrewshire, the Conservative group leader has said.
Councillor Neill Graham made a stinging assessment of the debacle, which has left a bill of up to £75 million for a second primary school and high school extension on the table, at Thursday’s full council meeting.
Political leaders reflected on the damning findings of a review into the errors, which was conducted by a former chief executive of four councils in David Bowles, amid a sombre atmosphere in the local authority chambers.
The report made several discoveries, which highlighted that senior education management at the time were “incompetent”, a “repeated failure” to test data and said officers showed “professional arrogance” in response to concerns.
Councillor Graham said: “It is taxpayers in Renfrewshire who will be paying for this failure for decades to come.
“Renfrewshire Council, like all councils across Scotland, are dealing with a lack of funding and cuts to services.
“Renfrewshire Council’s already borrowing money and I don’t see how we are going to recover from this setback in terms of council finances. It might be easy for officers to jump ship to other local authorities or to think that by saying sorry, it is enough. It is not. Actions now will speak louder than words.
“This catastrophic mess has plunged a dark cloud over Renfrewshire. This all could have been avoided and a serious change in culture is needed.”
Initial sums projected the existing school’s roll wouldn’t exceed around 430 pupils.
However, recent analysis predicted numbers could peak at 1,131 by 2033 – adding space might even be needed for 1,500 if demand continued.
Reflecting on the day the findings of Mr Bowles’ investigation were first published, Councillor Iain McMillan, Labour group leader, said: “When it hit on Thursday night, the publicity for Renfrewshire Council was dire.
“It was on the radio, UK-wide, Scottish-wide, on the news at night, and it didn’t show Renfrewshire Council in a very good light at all.
“You’re proud to come from this area, proud to say you represent part of this area, proud to say you’re in the council.
“I wasn’t proud on Thursday, I was embarrassed and I was ashamed, to be perfectly honest with you.
“I am now questioning the trust I have with some of the officers and I know I shouldn’t really think like that but, given the report, I can’t help it.
“It’s going to take a wee while for that trust to be rebuilt.”
SNP council leader Iain Nicolson, who said the report wasn’t a “wake-up call” but a “sharp dagger into the ethos and culture” that existed over a period of years, confirmed a cross-party oversight group would be set up.
In a statement, he said: “This has been a very difficult read and the report lays bare a number of significant failings by council officers over the years.
“I fully recognise the impact this has had on parents and the wider local community and along with my administration and councillors from across the political parties, am committed to getting this right and ensuring the best possible learning experience for our children and young people.
“I welcome the cross-party support for working together to progress a solution.
“It is our job to hold council officers to account and I have held discussions with the chief executive to seek assurances that measures are being put in place and work is progressing at pace to deliver a solution that supports our ambitions for our children.
“That is why I proposed a cross-party group that can bring a sharp focus to work going forward and work in partnership, ensuring the views of parents in the community are being represented.”
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