Issue - meetings

Consider joint report by Interim Service Director Children & Young People and Service Director Assets & Infrastructure.  (Copy attached).

With reference to paragraph 5 of the Minute of 7 November 2017, there had been circulated copies of a joint report by the Interim Service Director Children and Young People and the Service Director Assets and Infrastructure which provided an update of the community consultations that had been undertaken at Eyemouth Primary School and Earlston Primary School.  The report also provided a summary of the work undertaken to date and further recommended that approval was given to the next stage of the detailed design and costings process in respect of both schools.  The Lead Education Officer – School Estates, Lesley Munro was in attendance to present the report.  Ms Munro reported that the recommendations set out in the School Estate Review Next Steps 2017/18 report presented on 7 November 2017 approved to progress the next steps with regard to investment at Earlston and Eyemouth Primary Schools, which included informal consultations with stakeholders.  Ms Munro went on to advise that both schools were situated in old high school buildings and there was a need to provide new buildings for schools with both schools showing an increase in capacity for pupils.  The Service Director of Assets and Infrastructure explained that all investment models for the School Estate were delivered in partnership with Scottish Government with the establishment of the Scottish Futures Trust to take forward infrastructure projects and innovative schemes were more likely to be funded.  He explained that other opportunities were being looked at through the new South of Scotland agency and the direction of travel was to bring together complementary services in the one building. 

DECISION

AGREED:-

(a)          to note the contents of this update report;

(b)          to progress to the next stages in the detail design and costing process for both Eyemouth Primary School and Earlston Primary School;

(c)          that further updates would be provided to Members as more detailed information and clarity around potential future funding support from Scottish Government becomes available;

(d)          that Eyemouth, would be treated as a priority, and further considers that if sufficient funding support were to be provided by Scottish Government, that Eyemouth Primary School and Earlston Primary School would be progressed and procured in parallel (subject to any revised profiling of the capital programme); and

(e)          in accordance with the principle of ‘Fit for 2024’, request that officers consider all potential options for property asset consolidation within each of the respective school clusters as part of the proposed capital investment