Appeal for school trip refunds

Fife families have been left hundreds of pounds out of pocket by the cancellation of school trips due to lockdown.

Parents who paid for activities organised by outdoor education provider PGL have waited for refunds since March.

All trips, including to PGL’s Dalguise centre near Dunkeld, were scrapped at the start of the crisis.

Fife Council is pursuing PGL but the company has said all claims must be via individual schools’ insurance policies.

North East Fife Liberal Democrat politicians Wendy Chamberlain and Willie Rennie said holding on to payments added “insult to injury” and called on the council to refund parents for cancelled trips.

MSP Willie Rennie said: “While it is obvious that cancelling these trips was the right thing to do... there is no obvious reason why Fife Council should hold on to the costs of cancelled trips.

“Many parents are already feeling the squeeze on their incomes.”

Wendy Chamberlain MP said: “Many parents may be happy to save the money and put it towards future trips but it should be up to them what they do with their money.”

Fife Council’s head of legal and democratic services Morag Ferguson confirmed its legal team has written to PGL asking them to progress refunds to those affected.

She added: “We are pursuing this with the company and hope for a speedy response.”

PGL said about 2,000 UK school bookings were cancelled and it was helping those affected make insurance claims.