The way has finally been cleared for two new Arbroath primary schools.
After a saga of “epic proportions” described by one elected member as being “like Lord of the Rings” the full Angus Council voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to rubber-stamp last month’s education committee approval of a plan which will replace Timmergreens and Warddykes in a £10.2 million spend, with £400,000 for repairs to other town schools.
Councillors expressed relief the town is finally on the brink of moving forward from the six-year saga, which claimed as casualties along the way the proposed Hospitalfield superschool and Angus education vice-convener Ewan Smith.
He relinquished the post and membership of the ruling SNP group on a point of principle over the issue which he campaigned for election on last year.
But there was also a strong sense of anger from some quarters that the wrangling which led all the way to Scottish ministers had been at the expense of Arbroath youngsters left to sit in crumbling classrooms while counterparts across the county were at their desks in new state-of-the-art classrooms.
Angus EIS teachers’ representative David Drysdale relayed to the Forfar chamber the feelings of staff he had spoken to in Arbroath.
“They are expressing serious concerns about the health and wellbeing and the safety of children in the schools in their current condition and are absolutely in favour of the proposal agreed at the education committee, they want to see that go forward,” he said.
Education convener Sheena Welsh led the call for the plan to be backed, saying she regretted the matter’s referral to full council by councillors Ewan Smith and Bill Bowles in the face of overwhelming support.
“The delay caused by bringing this to full council has only succeeded in bringing more disappointment, frustration and confusion to parents, staff and pupils in Arbroath,” she said.
“A sticking plaster approach is no use, it is like repairing your old car year after year just to get it through its MoT and then having to buy a new one anyway.
“I’m not prepared to put up with that it’s not good enough for Arbroath and it’s not good enough for anywhere else in Angus.”
Mr Smith, who had favoured spreading the seven-figure investment on upgrading all the town schools, claimed the plan will cost Angus £80m over four decades.
“What I do not want to happen here is for us to rush into a decision to spend £80m to create overcrowded schools. I want us to look at this properly, rationally and with an independent eye.”
Mr Smith’s move to defer the issue was defeated by 25 votes to three, with only Carnoustie members Brian Boyd and Bill Bowles supporting him.
Mr Bowles highlighted financial areas of concern in the project, questioning biomass system costs which he said were three times that of other authorities and picking out finer details such as the four-figure estimate to take “four bolts off a wall” for the removal of a fire hose.
However, Arbroath independent David Fairweather said: “I’m not disappointed we’ve taken so long to get here, I’m angry, very angry. How can we be rushing into a decision?
“Our schools are not fit for purpose and if we keep patching them up we’re going to have C-graded schools now and C-graded schools in 40 years’ time.”
Fellow Arbroath member Donald Morrison said: “This is like the Lord of the Rings, a saga of epic proportions.
“The public are absolutely sick seeing the elected members fail to decide how to improve the burgh schools.
“This has been a millstone around the neck of this council. It’s time to stop stalling and get this project into gear.”