inspirED expect to make millions from schools project

You read it here first, on Wednesday September the 21st, this site reported the project was now worth £125million.

The local media says the developers estimate to make £25million profit from the East Dunbartonshire schools project. (Oct 18th, Bishopbriggs Herald, page 13 )

inspirED = Amec, John Laing and Innisfree

It is also reported that part of the deal will includes 'prime land' including the Bishopbriggs High School site (the site the people of Bishopbriggs choose as the location for the new Bishopbriggs Academy - but the council rejected). Plus surplus land on another four sites.

The public consultation on the Bishopbriggs School was rejected by ALL, and only, the Liberal Democrat members of the council. Only the provosts' casting vote managed to approve the location of the Academy onto the Thomas Muir site on the outskirts of Bishopbriggs.

Councillor Billy Hendry, who opposed the move, doesn't want to see any developers make a fortune at the expense of Bishopbriggs future on the use of the 'prime site' Bishopbriggs High School land.
I urge you all to let the council know 'your view' on the use of the Bishopbriggs High School site and who should 'profit' from it.

No Change in cost or time scale

The council have reassured the public that the project is still costing £100million and the time scale remains the same.

Their 'reassuring' wording "It is still our aspiration to have the schools open in 2008"

Dictionary meaning:

aspiration
noun
1 (usu. aspirations ) a hope or ambition of achieving something : he had nothing tangible to back up his literary aspirations | the yawning gulf between aspiration and reality. • the object of such an ambition; a goal.

Consultation... Consultation... Consultation...

BBC Radio 4 are broadcasting a programme on 'why there is so much consultation done nowadays'....

... and why most of the opinions are ignored.

They suggest it's used to play 'lip service' to the public appearing to having a say in decisions that really they have NO say in at all.

Now, why does that remind me of the EDC and the High School?

Minutes of the council meeting in July...

Still not on the web site, I requested them from the legal department..

They have been emailed to me and I note the following.

I cannot find any reference to the 'educational advantages' of the Thomas Muir site anywhere in the document.

The presentation by the three external advisors considered the following...

"key requirements of the process; legal evaluation; financial evaluation; and design and technical overview"

... no mention of educational advantages.

The recommendations to the council for approval considered the following...

To approve that Bidder 1 should be selected as the preferred bidder for the PPP Project (subject to the Scottish Executive’s KSR 2 approval) on the basis of their bid for the design, construction, maintenance and operation of the six schools in the Project with the exception of the cleaning service in the schools

... no mention of educational advantages.

At the beginning of the meeting councillor Hannah requested that the Provost refrain from using her casting vote, the Provost declined the request.

Councillor Hannah asked that the section regarding the building of Bishopbriggs Academy on the Thomas Muir site, recommended by Bidder 1 should be change to read on the Bishopbriggs High site.

On a split vote 12 to 12 the provost used her casting vote to reject his amendment.

The councillors that voted for the amendments (including building on Bishopbriggs High site, as voted for by the public and Jo Swinson) were...

Councillors FOR the amendment

1 Alan Brown - Cadder and Langbrae - Conservative
2 John Dempsey - Campsie - Labour
3 Rhondda Geekie - Kirkintilloch Central - Labour
4 Alex Hannah - Woodhill East - Labour
5 Billy Hendry - Balmuildy and Park - Conservative
6 Anne Jarvis - South Lenzie - Conservative
7 Charles Kennedy - Milton - Independent Alliance
8 Edward McGaughrin - Hillhead and Broomhill - Labour
9 Alan Moir - East Harestanes and Twechar - Labour
10Michael O’Donnell - Auchinairn and Woodhill - Labour
11Tom Smith - Woodhill West - Labour
12 Jack Young - Rosebank and Waterside - Independent Alliance

Councillors AGAINST the amendment

1 Fiona Callison - Chapelton - Liberal Democrat
2 Duncan Cumming - Barloch - Liberal Democrat
3 Robert Duncan - Castlehill and Thorn - Liberal Democrat
4 Eric Gotts - Clober - Liberal Democrat
5 Gordon Macdonald - Lenzie - Liberal Democrat
6 Cathy McInnes - West Kirkintilloch and Torrance - Liberal Democrat
7 Margaret McNaughton - Kenmure and Baldernock - Liberal Democrat
8 Vaughan Moody - Westerton - Liberal Democrat
9 John Morrison - Kessington - Liberal Democrat
10 Fiona Risk - Keystone - Liberal Democrat
11 Julia Southcott - Bearsden - Liberal Democrat

Casting and deciding vote...

12 Provost Patricia Steel - Baljaffery and Mosshead - Liberal Democrat

ALL the Liberal Democrats voted AGAINST the amendment and used their casting vote to push through the decision.

The wording in the minute contains an observation about her previous employment in education - I find this strange within the minute of a meeting, it can only have been include for one reason...

"The Provost, having listened to the debate and using her 32 years teaching experience used her casting vote in favour of the motion, which was accordingly declared to be carried.

After 32 years teaching you would think that she would had learned something - it was the people that voted her party into office.
They were asked their decision on the location of the school and then ignored - the people cannot, and will not, be ignored next election.

Hopefully soon you can read the minutes online - please read them.

How to make money from schools...

Quotes from an article that appeared in The Herald newspaper

Havelock sees rewards of PFI in schools

Havelock Europa increased profits by 14% in the first half, helped by strong growth in its educational fittings business, which it expects to benefit from a surge in government spending on schools for years to come.

An increase in revenues from £40.3m to £42.1m, which was entirely attributable to the educational division following a big increase in spending by the Scottish Executive on school improvement projects under the private finance initiative (PFI).

Whereas the executive laid out around £190m on school PFI projects under phase one of its schools improvement programme in 2002-03, spending topped £280m in the latest year.

He expects spending to rise to £715m in Scotland in 2007-08

However, in both cases Balfour was pleased that Havelock Europa had won new business from firms such as Marks & Spencer.

Who would have believed it?

John Morrison - has asked teams to look at proposals to regenerate town
centre taking into account Academy site once moved.

Shame they couldn't have done the same with Churchill Way and we may have had something worthwhile in the way of shops.

Tom Dibble said:

I think that on old Bishopbriggs High site most folk would like a Marks and Spencer

Visitor comment: Do these folk live in cloud cuckoo land what did consultation ask for?

What did petition ask for when M&S was first mooted?

Why are there empty units at RETAIL park?

Read the Bishopbriggs Hearld story 'Masterplan for town centre'.

The grand plan many want to consider the following.

* How many shops are lying empty?
* What impact on trade will moving 1200 people from the town centre create?
* Why was Churchill Way shopping demolished and turned into flats?
*Why have premises in Cross Court remained empty for almost a year?
The town centre has more than one - charity shop, pub, restaurant, bookmaker, travel agent, etc.

Will the council ask what the people want - then ignore them?

Remember: Marks and Spencer don't build shops, they rely on developers to create premises for them.

Friday 13th October's getting closer

Three weeks to go until the October holiday and just one week later the huts will be in place and Bishopbriggs Academy will be one school. As promised, everything will be up and running and finally the teaching staff can concentrate on teaching.

No more 15 minute breaks and busing of teaching staff one school until 2009 when the new Academy opens.

Results are in...

East Dunbartonshire came top in Scotland in terms of Standard Grades benchmark, with 89% of its pupils passing five at general level or above.

33% of pupils achieved the benchmark of three or more Highers placing East Dunbartonshire, second best, in pupil achievement in Scotland.

School exams performance fell in more than half of Scotland's local authorities last year, despite recent massive increases in education spending. Nineteen of Scotland's 32 councils had worse year-on-year results in the benchmark category

Now over a thousand regular visitors...

Thanks, figures show that this sites has over 1,000 regular visitors per week - and growing!

It's fantastic that so many are interested in why the council went against public opinion and voted to build the new school on the Thomas Muir site.

In just over a month this site has attracted over 10,000 visitors!

Thank you all for your support...

Keep visiting for the latest on the Bishopbriggs High story - gone but not forgotten...

Artists impression of new school...

The Woodhill Residents site now carries an artists impression of how close the new school is proposed to be built to home on Torr Road.

You can see for yourself here

Letters in the Evening Times

Here are the letters published by the Evening Times after the 'link hands' demonstration.

See other posts...