I have today highlighted my concerns about aspects of the proposed Dundee City Council Capital Budget and urged that there be a cross-party discussion about ways to improve the proposals to benefit the city’s schools.
There’s much to welcome in the draft capital budget and in particular the proposal to build new primary schools in Menzieshill and Coldside is good news, especially given the state of some existing school buildings. The total of £20m investment in these two areas will not only bring new primary schools but also community facilities and given the funding level for Menzieshill, presumably new nursery facilities may be possible there too.
However, it is over capital expenditure for other primary schools identified for improvement where I am critical of what is being proposed as the funding is simply inadequate and must be increased. Seven other schools across Dundee have been identified, including Blackness and Ancrum Road Primary Schools that serve large parts of the West End Ward.
The recognition of the need to improve facilities at these seven schools is welcome but the amount of funding at only £250 000 per school and that is simply not enough funding to make the sort of modernisation that these seven schools deserve. It should be remembered that a new-build primary school costs in the order of £9-10 million. These seven primary schools deserve more than a sixty minute makeover.
I have a specific proposal to make the improvements at Glebelands, Clepington, St Mary’s, Longhaugh, Dens Road, Ancrum Road and Blackness Primary Schools a whole lot better by allocating them £1 million each over the lifetime of the next Capital Plan – four times the proposed funding.
£1m per school is affordable if we consign to the bin another proposed set of expenditure on new headquarters and depots for the Environment Department. The council has already spent around £35 million on Dundee House and more expenditure on other council offices. It is about time to focus on our schools and, by abandoning ideas of further council department headquarters and by focussing on schools, we can increase expenditure on at Glebelands, Clepington, St Mary’s, Longhaugh, Dens Road, Ancrum Road and Blackness Primary Schools to £1 million for each school.
No business case has been brought before a city council committee to make a case for more money being spent on council headquarters buildings. It would be better spent on our schools.