School project will need to “cut its cloth” within original £16m budget

Back in 2019/20 that was the amount allocated for a new 14 classroom school with 565 pupils on the site of the former Eyemouth High School.

However, as a result of a spike in construction costs since that time and a lack of additional Government funding options the £16m would no longer cover the cost of the school as originally envisaged, members of SBC were informed last week.

Members were told that the £16m “would not be sufficient to deliver a new school of this scale at the current prices”.

East Berwickshire Independent councillor James Anderson accepts that additional funding is at this stage unlikely – although further finance for schools is thought to be a part of the UK Budget on Wednesday.

Mr Anderson said: “The new school at Earlston was half way through when the inflationary pressures kicked in and they couldn’t leave it half built, so more money had to be allocated. We’re not at that stage with Eyemouth primary.

“There will be two primary school options put forward, so it’s not a case of the council telling you this is what they want to do and ‘we’re not consulting you’.

“There has been a 21 per cent increase in inflation over the last four years since the £16m was allocated, so that’s a couple of a million off as a result of inflation in the last four years.

“For the moment, unless the UK government provide more funding for new schools we will be cutting our cloth within the £16m.”

A gathering of interested parties will be held over the two options by the end of this year, followed by full public consultation in the first half of 2025.