School closures: Council leader says PPP firm '˜let city down'

COUNCIL leader Andrew Burns has accused the Edinburgh Schools Partnership of 'letting the city down' following the decision to close 17 schools from Monday.

Abdrew Burns

Cllr Burns said the council had been left with no choice but to order the move to ensure safety of children and staff.

He said: “Edinburgh Schools Partnership have today been unable to give the Council sufficient guarantee that the schools and other premises are safe to open on Monday.

“Clearly we have every right to expect these schools to have been built to a good standard and in accordance with industry practice. We now know this isn’t the case. ESP have let the Council down but more importantly they have the let children, parents and staff of this city down.

“We have today alerted the Scottish Government to our concerns.

“The safety of children and our staff is our top priority and we’re simply not willing to take any risks. As such we have no option but to close these schools and Goodtrees Neighbourhood Centre.

“We fully recognise the significant inconvenience to parents caused by these closures. However I am sure everyone will understand why we have taken these steps.

“We will keep parents and carers updated over the coming week as more information becomes available.”