Plans to restructure Dundee City Council’s committee system could disadvantage school pupils, it has been claimed.
The Labour group’s education spokesman, Laurie Bidwell, fears having the policy and resources committee make decisions regarding non-teaching members of staff may adversely affect schools although this has been denied by education convener Stewart Hunter.
The current education committee is to be rolled into a new children and families service committee along with the social work and health committee.
This will continue to have input from non-elected church, teacher, parent and pupil representatives.
However, matters relating to non-teaching personnel, such as classroom assistants, will be dealt with by the council’s policy and resources committee.
According to the report on the restructuring of committees presented to councillors, this will ensure “such matters are dealt with on an integrated and consistent basis across all council services”.
Mr Bidwell submitted an amendment to have this clause removed so that all decisions affecting school staff would be taken by the children and families service committee.
This was defeated by 16 votes to 11.
Mr Bidwell said: “I was very disappointed that once again the SNP councillors, including the lord provost, were not prepared to listen and modify their proposals in response to a constructive suggestion from the Labour group.
“At a stroke cutting out this paragraph in the revised standing orders would have retained the role of the education committee transferring to the new children and families service committee.
“That SNP councillors have rejected my proposal will diminish the potential value of the new children and families service committee as many important issues will be excluded for discussion by virtue of their being about non-teachers.”
However, SNP councillor Stewart Hunter, the present convener of the education committee who will become convener of the new children and families service committee when it comes into effect, said Mr Bidwell was “making a mountain out of a molehill”.
Mr Hunter said the children and families service committee will still be able to debate any issues that arise and raise concerns with the policy and resources committee.
He said: “Issues will be discussed by the children and families service committee, the difference is that when it comes to personnel staffing issues they will go to policy and resources.
“I can think in the six years I have been education convener there have been two or three issues where what would have been an education issue will not be policy and resources.”