At the first meeting of Edinburgh City Council since 17 schools were closed following the discovery of building defects, Green councillors say a clear commitment to an independent inquiry is needed to rebuild trust.
Cllr Melanie Main
Green education spokesperson Cllr Melanie Main said:
“It is absolutely right for the focus just now to be on, first of all, getting repairs to school completed and, secondly, getting pupils back into their own schools as soon as it is safe to do so.
“However, it is not just walls which need rebuilt. It’s confidence and trust. And that needs a full and independent inquiry which regards no territory as out of bounds.”
Cllr Main also responded to claims by the council leader that the schools scandal is a construction issue not a contract issue, saying:
“It is not for the council leader to pre-empt what an inquiry should look into, however politically embarrassing it might be. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Edinburgh Schools Partnership is little more than a funding mechanism which has struggled to demonstrate its ability to deal with the crisis or handle the tasks required. That means that it is absolutely right to assess whether the contract with the private consortium is fit for purpose going forward.”
