West Dunbartonshire Council PPP

May 14, 2016 by martinrooney2014 1 Comment

The SNP locally have constructed a version of events around the PPP schools that does not accurately reflect what happened. For one reason or another, they have chosen to ignore the fact that West Dunbartonshire Council had an SNP Administration. The PPP was one of the first under the new SNP Scottish Government. The Scottish Government had to check it met Best Value as they were the main funders for the new schools.

The meeting in November 2007 was the decision making meeting on PPP. It was followed by financial close in January 2008 achieved under the SNP Administration.

 

Excerpt of Council Meeting Wednesday November 2007 at Clydebank Town Hall

REGENERATION OF THE SCHOOLS ESTATE – DUMBARTON ACADEMY CAMPUS

 (a) Request for Deputation – Brock Bowling Club

 

In terms of Standing Order No 14, the Council agreed to hear a deputation from the Brock Bowling Club in connection with the PPP school plans for Dumbarton Academy. Mr. Ian Campbell spoke on behalf of the Brock Bowling Club and informed the Council that despite what had been printed in the local press and had allegedly been said at the last Council Meeting (13 November 2007), the Brock Bowling Club supported the building of the new Dumbarton Academy Campus and was prepared to move to an alternative site, if a suitable location could be identified. He spoke about the long history of the Bowling Club and pointed out that the Club had never been in trouble with the Licensing Board therefore he could not understand why one of the reasons given by the Planning Committee when refusing the application was that it was not appropriate to have a licensed premises on the school campus. He also pointed out that the majority of club matches took place during the weekends, outwith school hours and therefore the operation of the Bowling Club had very little impact on the school’s activities.

Provost Agnew thanked Mr Campbell for his contribution.

 

(b) Request for Deputation – Dumbarton Academy Parent Council

In terms of Standing Order No 14, the Council agreed to hear a deputation from Mr. Iain Ellis and Ms. Anne McKinley, Dumbarton Academy Parent Council, in connection with the PPP school plans for Dumbarton Academy.

Mr. Ellis, Chair of the Dumbarton Academy Parent Council, criticised the decision of the Planning Committee on 22 October 2007 to refuse planning permission for the Dumbarton Academy Campus and detailed his reasons for doing so. In conclusion he asked the Council to guarantee that a new Dumbarton Academy would be built by 2009 as part of Phase 1 of the project and reminded the Council that the previous Administration had promised the children of Dumbarton a new school building that would be fit for the 21st Century and therefore this Council should honour that promise.

Ms McKinley, a parent member of the Dumbarton Academy Parent Council, spoke in support of a new building for Dumbarton Academy and described the poor condition of the existing buildings. She questioned the options within the Director’s report and asked if a risk assessment had been carried out on the implications of the parents of children in Dumbarton Academy taking legal action against the Council? She warned the Council that failure to include the Dumbarton Academy Campus in the first phase of the PPP project could result in a dramatic fall in the school’s roll and consequently the school could close with children being bussed to the new schools in Alexandria and Clydebank.

Provost Agnew thanked Mr Ellis and Ms McKinley for their contributions.

 

• Report by Chief Executive

With reference to the Minutes of the Requisitioned Meeting of Council held on 13 November 2007 (Page 577 refers), a report was submitted by the Chief Executive:-

(a) informing the Council of the consequences of the decision of the Planning Committee of 22 October 2007 to reject BAM PPP’s application for detailed planning permission for the Dumbarton Academy Campus; and

(b) seeking the Council’s approval for the removal of the Dumbarton Academy Campus from the PPP project.

 

Councillor Robertson, seconded by Councillor Rooney, moved:-

This Council notes that BAM/HGB will not now bring forward a new planning application for the Dumbarton Academy campus.

Council recognises however that the key policy of the ‘regeneration of the Secondary Schools Estate’ largely remains intact. Therefore, in order to protect the new-build campuses in Clydebank and the Vale of Leven, this Council reluctantly agrees to approve to the removal of the Dumbarton Academy Campus from the Schools’ Regeneration project.

Council recognises that it is important not to delay or threaten the entire project. Therefore, the Council instructs officers, as a matter of urgency, to bring forward a report to Council detailing the processes required to arrive at Financial Close on a Schools’ Regeneration Project comprising the remaining three campuses.

In addition, this Council instructs officers to prepare a further Report to a future meeting of Council, within three months, detailing the strategic plans for the regeneration of the remainder of the schools’ estate, with Dumbarton Academy as the highest priority. The report is to include, in particular, options for Aitkenbar Primary School; Braehead Primary School; and Dalreoch Primary School.

This report is to examine also all options for building the new Dumbarton Academy either on the current site or on a newly-sourced site within Dumbarton.

This Council agrees without equivocation that this commitment to the Dumbarton Academy school community will be our number one priority in terms of large-scale capital projects.

In addition, the Council will examine all funding opportunities including prudential borrowing, the use of capital receipts across the whole of the Council estate of the proposed new Scottish Futures Trust and will include all options in the new report.

This Council reassures all the parents, pupils, teachers and wider community affected by the loss of the Dumbarton Academy Campus from the Schools’ Regeneration Project, that this Council will commit to building a new Dumbarton Academy.

The Chief Executive and the Head of Service, Department of Educational Services were heard in answer to Members’ questions.

 

As an amendment Councillor R. McColl, seconded by Councillor C. McLaughlin, moved:-

That the recommendations of the report be approved as follows:-

(1) to approve the removal of the Dumbarton Academy Campus from the PPP project;

(2) to instruct officers as a matter of urgency to prepare a report to Council detailing the processes required to arrive at Financial Close on a schools’ PPP project comprising the remaining three campuses; and

(3) to instruct officers to prepare a further Report to a future meeting of Council detailing the strategic plans for the regeneration of the remainder of the schools’ estate, including Dumbarton Academy and Aitkenbar, Braehead and Dalreoch Primary Schools.

This Council notes the report and thanks officers for their in-depth assessments of the options available on the above matter.

The Council further accepts that the present situation is borne from circumstances outwith its control and that BAM PPP has indicated that they will not resubmit a new planning application for the Dumbarton Academy.

Regeneration of the schools estate is still a priority of this Council and the requirement to address the secondary schools still remains the first priority of the Council.

This Council accepts that current PPP bid from BAM is the best available option to deliver new schools within the next 4 years for the children of West Dunbartonshire.

The Council accepts that all other funding options have been explored and exhausted and none can deliver an alternative to PPP within a reasonable timescale.

While PPP is not the preferred way to fund any public works – at the present time it is the only viable option open to West Dunbartonshire Council.

Delaying the current regeneration project would mean the loss of over £1m of public money, risk of legal action and years of unacceptable delays to the education of the children of West Dunbartonshire.

Given that to do nothing is not an option and that even a few years delay could make the cost of any project prohibitive the Council agrees that early financial closure is crucial.

The Council accepts the view from the Scottish Government that given the planning decision that the project can be re-scoped without detriment to the remaining schools.

To that end the Council reluctantly agrees that Dumbarton Academy cannot be included as part of the current proposals – given the planning decision and complications that have arisen from it.

However it is crucial for the children of Dumbarton that a new build Academy remains the top priority for this Council.

To ensure this, the Council also agrees to instruct officers to finalise the second phase of the schools estate programme as soon as practical being no later than 3 months and bring these options to Council.

The officers should look at all viable options for a new Dumbarton Academy including the feasibility of finding a new location as well as all funding mechanisms.

This Council reassures all the parents, pupils’ teachers and wider community affected by the loss of the Dumbarton Academy Campus from the PPP project that this Council will commit to building a new Dumbarton Academy.

 

As a second amendment, Councillor McElhill, seconded by Councillor Hendrie, moved:-

This Council is extremely concerned by the manner in which the entire PPP project and consultation “process” has been conducted by the last Labour Administration and condemns that last Labour Administration for its lack of transparency, in accordance with an Audit Scotland report at that time.

This Council recognises that significant and majority opposition exists in Clydebank against PPP and its accompanying amalgamation of schools and accepts that PPP and its amalgamation of schools is neither in the best interest of the education of our young people nor in the best interests of the local tax payer.

This Council notes the continuous changes that have been made to the PPP project and considers these departures to have made the project piecemeal and untenable. This Council therefore now decides to withdraw from this PPP project and end all negotiations with the preferred bidder.

This Council awaits the report from the Chief Executive on alternative sources of funding, due in December, with a view to this Council accessing our allocation of RSG for a feasible and acceptable schools regeneration programme.

This Council notes that the Vale of Leven Academy should be given the utmost priority in this programme, given that the pupils there have been educated in portacabins for the past six years.

 

As a third amendment, Councillor Black, seconded by Councillor Bollan, moved:-

This Council agrees to suspend the current PPP programme given that there is no clear financial information available.

This position is arrived at as a result of information received from our financial advisors who state that it would be “misleading to present an update as discussions on provisional sums, specification changes and abortive costs are in the process of being finalised together with the movement in interest rates which is being monitored on a daily basis.” *

It would therefore be imprudent if not in fact negligent to proceed at this time.

This Council should also consider our position in relation to the representations being made about the proposed new build which would merge schools to the detriment of local communities in Clydebank.

* quoted from WDC financial advisor.

 

The Chief Executive, the Head of Service, Department of Educational Services and the Manager of Special Projects and Best Value were heard in answer to Members’ questions.

On the request on Councillor Bollan, the Council agreed to proceed by way of a roll call vote.

 

Vote 1 – Third amendment by Councillor Black versus second amendment by Councillor McElhill. On a vote being taken, 4 Members voted for the third amendment by Councillor Black (namely Provost Agnew, Councillors Black, Bollan and C. McLaughlin), 4 Members voted for the second amendment by Councillor McElhill (namely Councillors Brown, Finn, Hendrie and McElhill) and 14 Members abstained (namely Councillors Bootland, Calvert, Casey, McAllister, McBride, J. McColl, R. McColl, McGlinchey, W. McLaughlin, McNair, Millar, Robertson, Rooney and Smillie). There being an equality of votes, Provost Agnew used his casting vote in favour of the third amendment by Councillor Black.

 

Vote 2 – Third amendment by Councillor Black versus amendment by Councillor R. McColl On a second vote being taken, 7 Members voted for the third amendment by Councillor Black (namely Provost Agnew, Councillors Black, Bollan, Brown, Finn, Hendrie and McElhill), 4 voted for the amendment by Councillor R. McColl (namely Councillors J. McColl, R. McColl, C. McLaughlin and Smillie) and 11 Members abstained (namely Bootland, Calvert, Casey, McAllister, McBride, McGlinchey, W. McLaughlin, McNair, Millar, Robertson and Rooney).

Vote 3 – Third amendment by Councillor Black versus motion by Councillor Robertson On a third vote being taken, 6 Members voted for the third amendment by Councillor Black (Councillors Black, Bollan, Brown, Finn, Hendrie and McElhill), 14 Members for the motion by Councillor Robertson (namely Provost Agnew, Councillors Bootland, Calvert, Casey, McAllister, McBride, J. McColl, McGlinchey, W. McLaughlin, McNair, Millar, Robertson, Rooney and Smillie) and 2 Members abstained (namely Councillors R. McColl and C. McLaughlin).

 

The motion was accordingly declared carried.