COMMENT: 'Radical and creative thinking' needed to meet Ross-shire school funding challenges

I write in response – independently and not as a spokesperson for the administration – to last week’s edition to counter some of what was reported around the council’s difficult decision to scale back its capital investment ambitions.

Firstly, I am not alone in accepting that the council’s decision to face up to financial reality (because that’s what this is) was a gut-punch for families and staff at St Clement's and other schools. These schools are not ‘deprioritised’, though. There remains a commitment to St Clement's; just no money to honour it at the moment, given the current financial climate. This is no comfort to families, I know, but it is the truth.

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They are not excuses. None can be wished away. Would that they could. When I was elected in May 2022, the Bank of England base interest rate was 1%. It is now 5.25 per cent. This has impacted massively on the servicing of debt. The era of cheap money seems to be over. The affordability ‘window’ for any capital investment is therefore narrow. That is the painful reality – Cllr Sarah Atkin

The truth is also that these were always ‘hoped for’ projects and not ‘live’. They were dependent upon external help and borrowed money. The Scottish Government’s contribution, under LEIP (Learning Estates Investment Programme), would make realising the ambition considerably easier.

However, Scottish Government money equates to 50 per cent of the costs of a build and is not paid upfront as a lump sum, but over years to support maintenance costs. Even with LEIP, considerable sums would still need to be borrowed, especially to meet the LEIP specifications.

Pay settlements, inflation, high interest rates etc. are external factors that have real-world impacts.

They are not excuses. None can be wished away. Would that they could. When I was elected in May 2022, the Bank of England base interest rate was 1%. It is now 5.25 per cent. This has impacted massively on the servicing of debt. The era of cheap money seems to be over. The affordability ‘window’ for any capital investment is therefore narrow. That is the painful reality. The Opposition position that we stick to an unaffordable plan and, as if by magic, the money could be found to build these schools, is disingenuous. I sense our communities have had enough of false promises.

For me, St Clements is not a Dingwall school; it is a Ross-shire school. Pupils attend from a wide catchment, including from my own Ward on the Black Isle. So, many of us have a stake in this provision. This school is a special school for a myriad of reasons. Truly special. My personal view is that the school should never have been considered alongside the mainstream school estate. It is unique, and deserved unique status. (This is not to diminish the many Ross-shire schools, whether on the priority list or not, struggling in poor conditions, including on the Black Isle.)

Therefore, I would hope this ‘moment’ could be a catalyst to bring a broader stakeholder group together – including Kate Forbes MSP, whose interventions have been so appreciated by parents – for constructive debate, to figure out a radical Plan B solution for the children who attend St Clement's, because radical and creative thinking is required to meet the challenges we face.

Councillor Sarah Atkin

Independent councillor (Black Isle)

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