TEN YEARS AGO Friday November 5, 2010
School closure plans to be re-examined
The decision to consult on the possible closure of 26 rural schools was deferred for three weeks at a special meeting of Argyll and Bute Council.
Council officers have been ordered to reassess facts within school closure proposals to clarify any ‘fundamental flaws’.
Executive director for education Cleland Sneddon gave an assurance to children that they would not be forced to travel for more than 45 minutes to their new school.
Any such school would immediately be excluded from threat of closure.
He also did not rule out other schools being crossed off the list of amalgamations ‘if there were reasons to keep them open, drawn out from the consultation process’.
‘Flaws’ identified by councillors included travel times to school, safe routes to school, roll numbers and capacity.
Campbeltown Councillor Donald Kelly, of Argyll First, said: ‘These proposals are fundamentally flawed. How were they put forward as fact?’
Mr Sneddon answered: ‘The parents who have come to protest outside the council chambers have proved there are many more questions to be answered but the proposals are not fundamentally flawed.’
Islay-based Councillor Robin Currie demanded any future consultation meetings should be held in schools closing rather than in the receiving schools as planned.
He said: ‘Glenbarr, Skipness and Rhunahaorine should have separate consultations in their individual schools rather than one consultation in the receiving school.’
Council leader Dick Walsh said the controlling group of the SNP and Alliance of Independent Councillors had decided to take an ‘agreed approach’ to moving forward with the document.