There is fresh doubt over a promised school in Dundee’s Western Gateway after the city council failed to secure government funding.
With hundreds of new homes being built on the western edge of the city, parents and campaigners have long called for a new school to be built to meet increasing capacity.
The project took a step forward in January, with councillors voting to approve plans to establish a new school within the area.
In a bid to secure funding for the project, Dundee City Council applied to the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme in October 2022.
It was expected the funding would have covered around half of the £21.8 million cost.
However the Scottish Government has now announced the Western Gateway school is not among the successful projects chosen to receive funding from the programme.
‘Years of broken promises’
The funding blow is the latest twist in the long running saga of the promised school, described by residents as “years of ‘broken promises”.
Homeowners in the Western Gateway community previously forked out around £5,000 each in ‘roof tax’ when they bought their homes.
This money was expected to go towards paying for the new school and, by 2030, it’s anticipated the total financial contribution will surpass £5 million.
But in June 2021 it was revealed not a penny of designated council funding would go towards the project – with the local authority choosing instead to seek funds from the Scottish Government.
And in January last year, the council was forced to reassure residents the school would be built regardless of the government funding.
Labour MSP Michael Marra, who has long campaigned for the new school, has now called on Dundee City Council to give “urgent clarity” on what is next for the project.
He said: “The SNP administration on Dundee City Council has previously stated that the school being built is dependent on that funding being secured.
“With that in mind, Stewart Hunter now needs to provide urgent clarity on the status of the project and tell us how he plans to deliver this school.
“Anything less than delivery, on time, will be an abject betrayal of the promises made by he and his party to the parents and children of the Western Gateway community.”
Council in ‘very difficult position’
Councillor Stewart Hunter, convener of the children, families and communities committee, admitted the funding snub left the council in a “very difficult position”.
He said: “Whilst we recognise the huge investment in schools and the ongoing commitment a lack of identified funding for the Western Gateway leaves us in a very difficult position.
“We are deeply disappointed by the announcement, and in the immediate aftermath have tasked officers with looking at every available option for funding of a school in the Western Gateway.
“Council staff, the community and local politicians have worked incredibly hard to get to this stage and it is frustrating that the council hasn’t received support through the national school build programme.
“Despite hugely challenging financial pressures, Dundee City Council had included £17 million in the revised capital plan for the development of a new primary school at the Western Gateway. Our commitment is clear.
“Whilst officers consider options, we are also seeking an urgent meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Education & Skills to understand the decision and whether there are other avenues for financial support for the council and community to deliver our shared ambition.”
Conversation