REVEALED: See how your councillor voted on vital schools funding

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Knowing how your elected officials represent your interests is one of the most vital components in any democracy and sometimes it can be more important at the local level than elsewhere.

Fewer people, understandably, tune into the Highland Council chamber webcast than Prime Minister’s or First Minister’s Questions yet some issues decided at the local authority impact communities profoundly.

Last week’s debate on the infrastructure budget was one such occasion so we have broken down the democratic choices open to all the councillor’s present at the time of the vote.

The motion won by 35 votes compared to 28 for the amendment, with four abstentions.

Option One: The Motion

Tabled by the SNP-Independent Administration that is the council’s political leadership it essentially sought to establish an infrastructure investment plan limited to £343 million, down from an estimated £566 million.

To do that the council had to remove funding allocations that had previously been awarded to schools, as well as other areas, but promised to revisit them if funding becomes available in the future.

It also asked councillors to recognise the financial risks of borrowing the amounts required to fulfil this programme, arguing strongly that it is unaffordable and to get another report on the capital programme next month.

Option Two: The Amendment

Opposition leader Alasdair Christie tabled an amendment modifying the proposals which also included a number of lines about Park Primary in Invergordon.

The most significant change was to reject the proposal for the £343 million capital plan, retain the all 10 schools funding to allow for more time to investigate potential solutions.

It also called for a Park Primary stakeholder group to be established of councillors, the parent council, council officers to review all options, including design, to replace Park Primary School. That the insurance receipt received for Park Primary School be allocated to the school.

And finally, that the sum of £15.5 million be allocated to Tornagrain Primary School taking account of the level of developers’ contributions.

Why do this now?

Highland Councillors have continued discussing the recent capital budget long after the conclusion of the three hour debate that confirmed 10 school projects would not continue, at least for now.

That debate is becoming toxic in some quarters as members get personal while others spin lines such as “the money was never there so no money is being cut” from the council’s plans.

Except that is not how budgets work as anyone who listened to Transport Scotland officials speaking about the A9 summit will tell you (quote starts: 51:27) – it is a mistake to believe that cash sits in a bank until it is ready to be drawn down.

So unless Highland Council has a total of £343 million in the bank right now, it remains accurate to state that projected investment has been removed from a five year budget budgets containing school projects.

But it is not true that the schools have been removed from the capital programme altogether – that have not been totally cancelled – instead they have simply lost their funding until a new source is available.

Below are the councillors from each of the wards with a catchment are of the affected schools, here is how they voted:

Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh

Motion:

• Chris Birt (SNP)
• Isabelle (Biz) Campbell (Highland Independent)
• Liz Kraft (SNP)

Amendment:

• Patrick Logue (Scottish Conservatives)

Dingwall and Seaforth

Motion:

• Sean Kennedy (Highland Independent)
• Graham Mackenzie (SNP)

Amendment:

• Angela Maclean (Liberal Democrats)
• Margaret Paterson (Highland Independent)

Cromarty Firth

Motion

• Tamala Collier (SNP)

Amendment:

• Pauline Munro (Highland Independent)
• Molly Nolan (Liberal Democrats)
• Maxine Smith (Independent)

Black Isle

• Sarah Atkin was not present for the vote (Highland Independent)

Motion:

• Lyndsey Johnston (SNP)

Amendment:

• Morven-May MacCallum (Liberal Democrats)

Aird and Loch Ness

Abstain:

• Chris Ballance (Greens)

Motion:

• David Fraser (Highland Independent)
• Emma Knox (SNP)

Amendment:

• Helen Crawford (Scottish Conservatives)

Inverness West

Abstain:

• Ryan MacKintosh (Greens)

Motion:

• Bill Boyd (SNP)

Amendment:

• Alex Graham (Liberal Democrats)

Culloden and Ardersier

Motion:

• Glynis Campbell Sinclair (SNP)
• Morven Reid (Highland Independent)

Amendment:

• Trish Robertson (Liberal Democrats)

Inverness South

Motion:

• Ken Gowans (SNP)

Amendment:

• Colin Aitken (Liberal Democrats)
• Duncan Macpherson (Inverness Independent)
• Andrew Sinclair (Scottish Conservatives)

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