Councillor’s concern over £500k ideas sharing plan

Marra says money better spent in classroom

A Labour councillor has said he believes £500,000 being sought to share best practice amongst Tayside schools would be better spent in the classroom.

Michael Marra, the member for Dundee’s Lochee ward, said he also had concerns about oversight of the funding if it is approved as the new collaborative body, run between Dundee, Angus and Perth and Kinross Councils, is not a formal legal entity.

Mr Marra and his Labour colleague Charlie Malone also said they feared “mission creep” over the Tayside Children’s Services Collaborative and the Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative (TRIC), which could lead to more centralisation of policies.

At a meeting of Dundee City Council’s Children and Families Services Committee, Mr Marra asked executive services director Paul Clancy about governance of TRIC.

He said: “It feels like there is a suggestion of mission creep about councils and collaborative working.”

The council has requested around £500,000 for the project and Mr Clancy said because this has not yet been approved, no decisions on how it will be managed have been made.

Mr Clancy added: “Our collaboration with Angus and Perth and Kinross council started long before the Scottish Government got involved. These things bring great benefit to the city.”

Council leader John Alexander said: “This is not about creating a new authority that takes over the finance, this is about best practice.”

However, following the meeting Mr Marra said: “Parents across Dundee will be appalled that half a million pounds is being spent on ‘idea sharing’ instead of putting teachers into classrooms.”

Councillors in Perth and Kinross and Angus have already approved the report.

Parents across Dundee will be appalled that half a million pounds is being spent on ‘idea sharing’. MICHAEL MARRA

Labour councillor Michael Marra.