Cuts to public spending have left a question mark hanging over proposals to build six schools in Fife, the local authority has admitted.
Projects for four secondary schools and two primary schools, amounting to an investment of £126 million, have been planned for the next decade.
They include replacing buildings at Madras College in St Andrews, Dunfermline High and Auchmuty High, and building a school at Kirkcaldy east.
A replacement Burntisland Primary School and a school to serve Dunfermline’s eastern expansion are also in the pipeline.
While the council hopes the schools will go ahead, this could be scuppered after Chancellor George Osborne unveils his public spending review on October 20.
So far, Scottish school building projects have escaped the effects of austerity measures, brought in to cut Britain’s massive budget deficit.
However, alarm bells were set off when England’s £55 billion Building Schools for the Future scheme was scrapped, which saw the axe fall on 715 school building projects.
Garry Crosbie, education directorate for service improvement at Fife Council, said, “Fife Council has committed £134 million to the Building Fife’s Future programme, which will see six schools built, rebuilt or refurbished throughout Fife.
“We have a 10-year capital plan in place and, at the moment, we do not know if the current national financial situation will have any impact on our school building programme.Impact”It will not be until the outcome of the comprehensive spending review, which is due to be reported on October 20, that we will have a better idea of the financial impact on the Scottish public sector.”
The six school projects are at varying degrees of completion.
Work is under way at Carnegie Primary School in Dunfermline east and the Dunfermline High School replacement is set to open its doors in autumn 2012.
A project to unite Madras College’s split campus on a single site is set to start next summer.
Although the final details have yet to be confirmed, a business case has been drawn up for a new build next to St Andrews University, with completion in August 2013.
Meanwhile, Auchmuty High was given a £18.7 million boost from the Scottish Government’s Scottish Futures Trust.
The grant meant the £33 million project could be brought forward and it is expected to finish in late 2014 or early 2015, rather than the previous target date of 2017.Early stagesHowever, Kirkcaldy east is not expected to get a new high school until 2019, and plans for a new Burntisland Primary are in the early stages.
Councillor Neil Crooks, who represents Kirkcaldy North, said the town had already waited long enough for a new high school.
“It’s been pushed back so far already, that’s bad news already for Kirkcaldy, as far as I’m concerned.”
He added, “Capital projects, as far as I’m aware, are already fully funded.
“I wouldn’t want to speculate on what the outcome of any cuts would be.”
The Scottish Government said school projects currently under way would be delivered as planned.
A government spokesman said, “The Scottish Government remains committed to the Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme.
“We are investing £800 million into delivering 55 schools across the country.”
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user tracy the astonishing.