No Swinson as Jo Swinson seat won by SNP

TEN YEARS on from the Liberal Democrats decision to build the new Bishopbriggs High School on the site of the old Thomas Muir school on the outskirts of the town.

The general election 2019 sees Jo Swinson lose her seat to the SNP.

Despite the then Lib Dem run council asking the people of Bishopbriggs to decide where the new school should be built, and the people deciding to built it on the existing Bishopbriggs High School site. The council ignored the people and voted against that democratic decision and decided to build the new school on the Thomas Muir, out of town, site.

At the next local council election the Lib Dems administration was humiliated when they lost.

On the old Bishopbriggs High School site the new £800,000 sports hall was first thing to be demolished by the demolition company. After investigation it was deemed to have been a mistake, and NO further action was taken.

Today, 10 years on, the old Bishopbriggs High School site remains derelict and empty.

New homes continue to be built in Bishopbriggs and the demand for secondary school places sees the council having to consider placing pupils inside the Bishopbriggs Academy catchment in other schools.

Maybe they could build a new school on the unused High School site - it's still the best option, in my opinion.

More to follow...

LibDem take a beating...

The LibDems, who voted for the 'cheaper option', for Bishopbriggs Academy have been wiped off the face of the new council at East Dunbartonshire.

They could ignore the public when it came to consultation but they couldn't when it came to voting for their job.

East Dunbartonshire Liberal Democrates on May 4th 2007

John Morrison (Council Leader) - Gone
Margaret McNaughton - Gone
Gordon Macdonald - Gone
Fiona Risk - Gone
Pat Steel (provost) - Gone
Julia Southcott - Gone
Robert Duncan - Gone
Fiona Callison - Gone
Cathy McInnes - Gone
Eric Gotts - Survived
Duncan Cummings - Survived
Vaughan Moody - Survived

Of the Twelve LibDem councillors only three survived the rest were wiped out by the voters.

Cathy McInnes who came fifth out of six candidates for the Strathkelvin and Bearsden seat took a double beating.

The results can be found here Strathkelvin and Bearsden


And the council results here

Jo Swinson - take note

Kirky Herald Lib Dems Binned

Bats at St Ninian's

I understand that St Ninian's cannot be demolished as bats have been found.

Will this delay the Academy - only time will tell....

Prisoners treated better than our children?

Dr Gordon Low wrote a letter to the Bishopbriggs Herald highlighting the way the Council have treated our children compared to how prisoners at Low Moss prison are treated.

During last year's public inquiry into the proposed new prison at Low Moss, Scottish Prison Service (SPS) were at pains to stress the urgency of building prisons to meet the rising prisoner population.
So it's a bit surprising now to find that they can manage quite happily for the next two years with one fewer prison. (Bishopbriggs Herald, 28th February)
But then, the SPS would tell us that they're seeking to accommodate twice the number of inmates in a state-of-the-art complex, complete with its own dedicated sports facilities and requiring the flexibility afforded by the utilisation of the whole available site.
So presumably the site has to be cleared before building work can begin, as trying to construct the new prison round the existing buildings would hopelessly compromise the design.
And of course, the SPS would probably consider it unreasonable to expect prisoners to have to live in a building site for two years.
Fair enough, perhaps. Yet it does seem just a bit ironic that the latter approach is exactly the construction methodology being employed by East Dunbartonshire Council to accommodate twice the school role at the new Bishopbriggs Academy, and with exactly the consequences the SPS are avoiding at Low Moss.
And that's before the council sells off part of the school site to the developers.
It wouldn't be good enough for the prisoners (and who would argue the point?) but apparently it's good enough for our school pupils.

Schools project to be sold off?

Schools contracts may be up for grabs in Amec sell-off.

It could be the first of many sell off by chief executive Samir Brikho, the Swedish-Lebanese businessman who runs the company.

Samir may sell businesses involved in building and facilities services and focus the company on core areas such as oil and gas, minerals and metals mining and the nuclear and wind energy industries.

He added that plans were already in place for significant cost savings.

Read the full story here in The Sunday Herald

Maybe they think the SNP will win in May...

SNP will build new schools but not for profit!

The SNP have said they are committed to building new schools in East Dunbartonshire but not under PPP.

The SNP would use a NOT for profit trust scheme, where benefits are ploughed back into education rather that being paid out to contractors.

Where as the Liberal Democrats are committed to selling land and paying developers to run the schools for years to come.

PPP has already been in the news when running costs have soared in several projects.

The Labour party had said the SNP would not built the schools but this has been denied by SNP candidate Dr Robin Easton.

Council leader John Morrison said it was insulting to the public to say that PPP was anything but a success...

That would be the same public who's advice the Liberal Democrats chose to ignore then Mr Morrison?

Glasgow plan to invest millions on new sports pitches

Looks like Glasgow have the right idea - unlike the councilors of East Dunbartonshire. they prefer to sell off land for private homes taking land from education use.

A massive £25million could be spent over the next seven years providing hundreds of new and upgraded sports pitches across Glasgow.

Selling pitches and investing the money in better ones.

Some red blaes pitches will be sold off to developers, with some of the cash being re-invested in high quality pitches in areas of greatest need.

Read the full story in The Evening Times

Lack of outdoor sports facilities

Anyone listen to Roger Black on Radio 4?

He's trying to get children fit at school and he's shocked by the lack of outdoor facilities at schools.

The excuse is the lack of space and land available.

What do East Dunbartonshire do?

They have the land for these facilities but in almost every school site in the project they chose to sell part of that land off for financial gain.

You can listen here.

Executive to decide on planning application

Holyrood will have final say on school plan Evening Times

MINISTERS are to rule on a controversial plan to build houses next to a new school.

A planning application by housing firm Amec for houses next to Bishopbriggs Academy has been referred to the Scottish Executive.

Bishopbriggs High and Thomas Muir High are merging as part of a £100million PPP plan to build six secondaries in East Dunbartonshire.

Bishopbriggs Academy will be built on the site of the former Thomas Muir High school in Wester Cleddens Road, Woodhill.

But campaigners have voiced concerns over the loss of green space adjoining the site which, they say, should be for sports facilities instead of housing.

However, East Dunbartonshire council leader John Morrison said: "The new Bishopbriggs Academy will have better sports facilities than ever before."

Nice one John - there never has been a Bishopbriggs Academy so how can it "have better sports facilities than ever before?"

No matter how you 'spin it' the land, that is already used for schools, would be better continuing to be used for the new school. But then that wouldn't make MONEY - would it!

Let's see how the figures add up when this PPP project is over.

Time to do to the Liberal Democrats what they have done to Bishopbriggs High School and the children of Bishopbriggs

Councillors who want severance pay

Here is a list of East Dunbartonshire councillors who have applied for severance pay...

Robert Duncan - Castlehill and Thorn - Liberal Democrat
Edward McGaughrin - Hillhead and Broomhill - Labour
Tom Smith - Woodhill West - Labour
Julia Southcott - Bearsden - Liberal Democrat
Pat Steel - Baljaffrey and Mosshead - Liberal Democrat (Provost)

From the list here

East Dunbartonshire officers are not fit for purpose?

Liberal Democrat supporter Alastair McPhee puts the question:

I am becoming extremely exasperated by the decisions that our Councillors have taken regarding the major changes in Bishopbriggs. Can they do a John Reid and argue that the East Dunbartonshire officers are not fit for purpose or are is it just that our team are consistently picking the wrong option?

This is in response to the Evening Times article (below) you can read his comments here

More from this blog...

FibDems Scottish Liberal Democrats - you can't trust them This is the proof!

"Lib Dem donor jailed for dishonesty" Read it here

Oh No Jo.... Again Read it here

Morrison's Baby

The directors cut...



Or you can view it here

Write to your councillor or MSP

You can use this site to write to your councillors or MSPs regarding this issue (or anything else that concerns them)

Use this link - Write to them

Bats are more important than your childrens safety

If bats are found on or around the site of the new Bishopbriggs Academy then developers CANNOT proceed until their future has been addressed.

Yet - a travel plan, that the council admit, does NOT meet requirements is NOT a matter that they decided could delay the new school.

Council leader, John Morrison, admitted that he had not, in his long history of sitting on the planning board, seen a submission that had so many conditions attached due to the inadequacies of the original plans.

Yet - he was happy to approve it!

It will now go to for approval to the Scottish Executive, objectors can put their case to them to reject this 'flawed' submission - last night approved by the Liberal Democrat run East Dunbartonshire Council.

Approved after six hour meeting

The building will go ahead, despite various concerns, that the council agreed with!

Including the admission that the school travel plan submitted was a shambles!

Councillor Morrison and his Lib Dem colleagues had no hesitation but to vote for approval despite the amendment proposal of a two week delay for the developers to submit updated plans.

Done deal...

Jo Swinson to walk to school

Liberal Democrat MP, Jo Swinson has been invited to 'walk to school'.

A parent from Hilton Road asked Jo to join her and find out the issues children from this area of Bishopbriggs will have walking to the New Academy.

Jo has agreed, it is hoped this will take place tomorrow, January 19th.




With snow lying on the ground today this will be a good indication of how the weather will effect the journey.

Hilton Road is a lot closer to the new Academy than some other areas of Bishopbriggs that children will have to walk from.

I will report the outcome of the walk as soon as I hear.

Planning decision

At tonight's meeting of the Council planning committee, a decision over the planning application for Bishopbriggs Academy was deferred pending a site visit and public hearing.

It is hoped that this can be carried out on the same day (still to be confirmed).

Councillor Morrison constantly refereed to the planning had to be completed "quickly".

Another meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 31st January at 5.30pm and Tuesday 6th February.

Sports facilities

We would all like to see more sports facilities but there is a limit to what local authorities can do with the land and resources available
Sandy McGarvey

Yes, especially when you decide to sell off large sections of land that is already zoned for education...

Quote of the year!


Full story in today's Herald

For anyone who has been privilege to read the planning report (I have). They would have noticed the section on the areas around the pitch being less than the recommended safety areas.

The developers stated...

their is insufficient space to provide full run-offs etc.

If they checked their plans again, the pitch sides run parallel to the 'surplus' land. The safety area could easily be achieved if this land was used for education not gain.

If the planning is approved, as is, the safety of pupils would be compromised to achieve better receipts for land sale.

Lack of consultation - rejected consultation

Prime land that will be lost from educational use in Bishopbriggs

Bearsden are unhappy with PPP schools project but Bishopbriggs has lost a school and an entire site to development!

From a letter in The Herald newspaper...

Part of the problem with this PPP project has been the lack of proper consultation. Mr Anderson states that the council's PPP team has worked with its building partner but makes no mention of working with local groups.

From a public perspective, it appears that a veil of secrecy has been drawn over these proposals and that all reasonable observations are brushed aside as irrelevant or too late to be considered.

And this statement...

East Dunbartonshire states that it is committed to community planning. To quote from its own document, community planning is "most importantly, about ensuring that local people are able to influence the decisions of the organisations that provide their services".

This has, and is, clearly NOT happening.

Comment sent

David Anderson, East Dunbartonshire Council's Corporate Director - Community, may feel that the sports field provision in the PPP project for Bearsden Academy is adequate, however residents and parents in Bishopbriggs are not so relaxed.

The new Academy in Bishopbriggs was moved from the 'constrained' site near the town centre, to the outskirts in Woodhill. Here we were told there was much more space. Space that would allow greater provision of sports fields.

Now that detailed plans for the school have become available it is clear that this extra space is being sold off for housing and the extra playing fields will be laid on land currently used by the two nearest primary schools. While any improvement in the facilities of either primary school is to be welcomed, it is clear that parents and residents were misled when we were told that the Woodhill site for the Academy would bring with it significant educational benefits such as greater sports field provision.

Perhaps when councillors meet next week to either approve or reject the planning application for the school, they will ask why land on the site is being sold off while pupils are being asked to cross a fast main road to use an undersized primary school playing field.

Janitor's houses

If you have read other posts on this site you would remember the council saying that the janitor's house on the Bishopbriggs High School site restricted their building plot. There was no money available to purchase it.

Same with the child care centre on the same site.

© Google Earth

Several months on we're expected to forget that, as they decide a valuable strip of land at Thomas Muir is 'surplus' and should be sold off for housing.

© Google Earth


Wait a minute, doesn't that land include a Janitor's house, they don't own, and a bus terminus?

Surly they can't find money to buy them out when they had none for the same purpose at the Bishopbriggs High site?

Not content with gaining the entire site at Bishopbriggs High they want to claw back land from Turnbull and Thomas Muir.

The will be building the biggest school ever in Bishopbriggs on what remains of the Thomas Muir site. This will require having to share sports facilities with surrounding primaries.