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Islands' rural secondaries to close in savings drive

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Published Date: 05 September 2008
ALL Western Isles rural secondary schools will shut in a massive cost-cutting drive, councillors decided last night.
By default, they abolished the island's rural two-year secondary system.

But, to a round of appluase from a crowd of anxious parents, councillors agreed to delay closure for three years – a move they rejected back in April.

The tense and lengthy late-night vote was the culmination of a year-long fight by parents and communities to retain their schools.

Secondary units at Bayble, Lochs and Back secondaries will shut for good in 2011.

However, parents now look to Fiona Hyslop, the education minister, for a lifeline as the ten miles distance to the transfer school for pupils in Daliburgh, Paible, Lionel and Shawbost has to be ratified by the Scottish Government.



The full article contains 139 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 04 September 2008 11:57 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Tom in Belmont,

Belmont 05/09/2008 02:55:35
Gee, I though the SNP were elected to PRESERVE Scottish culture? What would their foundress (herself an Islander) say to Mr. Salmond about this?
2

fife runner,

05/09/2008 05:59:32
ten miles transfer to schools! whar are they complaining about. Heck, kids here in NE Fife do that now.
3

Chaplin,

05/09/2008 06:24:10
It seems strange that the SNP are allowing these schools to close.
4

Duncan in Edinburgh,

05/09/2008 09:01:18
These cuts in services are as nothing compared to what is coming down the line if the SNP force through the £750 million per year cut in local authority funding intrinsic in their LIT plans. Already the freeze in council tax has left major cities in crisis. Schools buildings and maintenance programmes shelved, schools being closed all over the place.

If this was the manifesto on which the SNP campaigned in the last election then there would be a little justification for it. But no - they promised to match the current schools building plans "brick for brick"!

What a bunch of liars and hypocrites.
5

bill-alba,

fife 05/09/2008 09:39:32
I think you'll find that the SNP are addressing this problem of rural schools and these schools will not close.
It was the lib dems who voted against the new school at the taybridgehead after campaigning (during the elections) for the school to be built...no change there then.
6

Duncan in Edinburgh,

05/09/2008 10:24:34
#5 I think you'll find that the SNP's talk of protecting rural schools is not matched with the money needed to do so! Like almost everything else, they make pronouncements but no provisions.

When Nicola Sturgeon announced that Monklands A&E was to be retained, she imposed this on the Health Board without providing any additional funding. The Health Board has had to make cuts elsewhere to achieve this "SNP victory". And so it goes down the line - council tax freeze, another "SNP victory" which is resulting in service cuts across the country, and schools buildings programmes being axed while charities are closed down.

Such pronouncements are exactly how the SNP are "addressing" the rural schools issue. Sheer populist hypocrisy.
7

Guga II,

Rockall 05/09/2008 10:50:09
#6. As you obviously don't know the situation in the islands, you are, as usual, spouting biased New Labour Sleaze and Corruption Party (North British Branch) garbage.
8

Duncan in Edinburgh,

05/09/2008 11:19:49
#7 As you have no excuses for the way the SNP deals with these problems - all rhetoric and no cash - you are, as usual, reduced to just calling people names.

The SNP approach of promising change but not funding it is a disaster for every part of Scotland, not just the islands. You are blinded by your zeal for independence, and you cannot see the dreadful mess that is being made by Salmond and his crew.
9

Calum Crubag,

05/09/2008 13:02:06
#8- amadan. The SNP are opposed in almost everything by Labour. If London Labour give us our oil money, our govt can keep these schools open. Though, Labour would prefer money to go on Trident and Iraq.

Labour are so pathetic, they're now complaining about the SNP being 'populist and popular'.
10

ochone,

Sauchie, Clack's 05/09/2008 14:46:03
Isn't Western Isles Council dominated by the independents?
11

Guga II,

Rockall 05/09/2008 18:24:39
#10. Yes.
12

King Banana,

Edinburgh 06/09/2008 21:41:15
Sadly politicians that are not in power think it's theri job to 'oppose' anything and everything the ruling party proposes. It is no such thing. Their job is to represent their constituents and if that means agreeing with the party in power.... well tough!

Council tax should not be frozen. It should be set to whatever level is required to fund authority spending and then automatically (i.e. without resorting to flaky councillors) raised by inflation every year. If the council should want to raise it further or lower it then the matter should go to a local referendum. Then we'd have no-one to blame but ourselves for thinking of our wallets instead of rural schools, roads, nursing homes and provision for impoverished children.

 

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