Speaking after the Scottish Government announcement of an additional £800m for the building of new schools across Scotland through the Scottish Futures Trust Councillor James Dornan, SNP Leader of the Opposition on Glasgow City Council, said: "The announcement of almost £1bn in new money for councils, to assist in the funding of new schools to replace those in the worst condition, is extremely welcome. 

"The school estate in Glasgow, under Labour, has been allowed to deteriorate over the past thirty years, now – after eight years of inaction by the Labour-Lib Dem Executive I am delighted that the Scottish Government has identified additional funds - over and above those already allocated to Councils – to further assist in the revitalisation of our nation’s education estate.

"Despite SNP calls at the time for the administration to think again and against 96% of respondents to their consultation, Labour’s headlong rush to close schools in Glasgow can now be seen for the folly that it is; by pursuing a flawed closure plan the administration has slammed the door on the opportunity presented by this Scottish Government initiative.

"Labour has consistently failed to manage Glasgow’s schools estate properly – this announcement proves once again that only the SNP have what it takes to put right decades of neglect by providing new money to assist Councils with their school rebuilding programme."

Note:

Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning announced the plans this afternoon in the Scottish Parliament. For more information, visit the Scottish Government website.