More council secrecy over St Martin’s Primary closure proposals

January 30, 2018 – Labour has accused SNP-led West Dunbartonshire Council of hiding their attempt to close St Martin’s Primary School in Renton.

At a meeting with the council’s Chief Education Officer last week, the Parent Council discovered that the SNP administration has asked officers to draw up proposals to close St Martin’s Primary and relocate pupils to St Mary’s Primary in Alexandria.

There is no mention of the school closure in West Dunbartonshire Council’s consultation on budget cuts which ends on 5 February. Local MSP Jackie Baillie said the SNP should come clean on what other cuts and school closures have not been included in the public consultation.

Jackie said: “The parents at St Martin’s and the wider community in Renton have fought long and hard to protect their local school and the SNP administration knows it. Why else would they ask council officers to draw up plans to close St Martin’s without even mentioning it in the ongoing budget public consultation?

“This is a shocking abuse of trust by the SNP who promised to lead an ‘open and transparent’ council. The whole point of the budget consultation is to let local residents have their say and set out local priorities for the year ahead.

“People in Renton have a right to know when the SNP administration asked officers to draw up plans to close St Martin’s and why it has not been included in the public consultation. What other cuts and school closures are the SNP planning behind the scenes with un-elected council officers?”

The SNP were not available for comment.