Showdown meeting on the future of a Borders primary school
A showdown meeting on the future of a Scottish Borders primary school is to be held next week.
There are two options currently on the table for Eyemouth Primary School.
Late last year the plug was pulled on a Scottish Borders Council consultation launched over proposals for the relocation of the school into the town’s High School amid overwhelming public opposition.
It was agreed instead to launch an engagement plan with all elements of the community, and for the formation of focus groups to agree a way forward.
When members of SBC met in May they were told that, in response to this engagement, officers had further developed two broad routes for consideration.
The first is the initial campus proposal, based on relocation of primary provision to the High School site, with a separate Early Years and Family Centre on the current primary site.
The second is an alternative new build proposal, based on a new standalone primary school with early years and family centre provision on or aligned to the existing primary school site.
Both routes have been tested further against educational impact, programme, delivery risk, disruption, affordability and capital planning implications.
The key outcome of the work undertaken to date is that the alternative new build proposal appears capable of being delivered more quickly, but at materially higher cost, while the campus option appears less costly but would take longer to deliver and carries greater programme, operational and engagement complexity.
Now a special meeting of Scottish Borders Council is to be held on Thursday, September 17, with the stated aim of delivering a new school solution in the “minimum time and in the most cost-effective manner”.
East Berwickshire Conservative councillor Carol Hamilton has convened the meeting under a standing order, with support from fellow members of the Conservative/Independent administration.
Her standing order states: “The Scottish Conservative and Independent Administration of Scottish Borders Council is committed to delivering a new school solution for Primary Education in Eyemouth.
“The Administration understands however that a proposed 3 -18 campus school solution, one of the options being considered, is increasingly challenging.
“I, as the local Eyemouth member on the Administration of the council, am therefore calling for a special meeting of Scottish Borders Council under Standing Order No. 9 as a matter of urgency to be supported by the necessary technical, legal and financial information from officers to allow a debate and a final decision to resolve this issue, especially after our focus groups and continued dialogue held with the local community.
“I Carol Hamilton, supported by the undersigned members, call for this meeting of council to determine the solution to be progressed, and how the council can deliver a school for Eyemouth in the minimum time and in the most cost-effective manner.”
The meeting at council headquarters, and accessible online, is to begin at 2pm.