Midlothian Council approves largest capital programme ever to bounce back from pandemic

Newbattle Community High School S5 pupils Aimee Bentley and Ava Harvey with their digital learning devices.

Councillors agreed to the council’s most ambitious capital programme ever, which will see record investment of over £0.567 billion through to 2025, with a further £263 million for local projects in the pipeline.

Projects approved include: • £10.5m for the delivery of a revised digital learning programme as part of plans to provide every child of school age with a digital device and associated support.

• A wide-ranging school building, extension and refurbishment programme, with proposals for a new A701 school campus (replacing Beeslack High School) and the extension and refurbishment of Penicuik High.

• A new £16.8m primary school and community hub, now nearing completion, in Danderhall.

• A new school campus proposed for Shawfair, and a new high school for Gorebridge.

• Replacement schools for the Mayfield campus and Lasswade Primary.

• A £343m investment in new-build council houses and in the continuing upgrading of existing homes.

• A new £12m care facility at Polton Street in Bonnyrigg.

• Investment in improved roads, footpaths and lighting across Midlothian, totalling £16.6m.

• As part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, major investment is also planned in the new A701 Relief Road and A702 link to new research and technology facilities at Easter Bush.Councillors also agreed to a cross-party recommendation to approve a balanced budget for 2021/22 which will see revenue spending on council services top £227.86m. The biggest investment will be in education (£103.65m) and health and social care (£47.724m).

A council spokesperson said: “This landmark budget accelerates the council’s ambition, which was approved as part of the Midlothian Route Map through and out of the crisis, back in June last year.

“It also represents a significant departure from previous budgets in that it’s the first time since local government reorganisation in 1996 that no service cuts have been needed to balance the budget - this despite a real terms reduction in core government grant support.

"This is as a direct result of the cross-party ‘step change’ which took place when the council approved its Medium Term Financial Strategy in June 2019.

“This budget, together with the accelerated capital programme, means that Midlothian is ‘building back better’ - with new jobs, apprenticeship opportunities, support for businesses, and help for communities and families hard-hit by the impact of Covid-19.

"It promises new schools, a record investment in council housing, improved infrastructure, and the new opportunities needed to help lead the way out of the pandemic and towards a better future for Midlothian.”

Hazel Flanagan, Scottish Labour’s candidate for the Midlothian East by-election added: “The decision to provide all Midlothian School age children with a digital device, free of charge, is a game changer and will level the playing field when it comes to people not being able to afford devices that we rely on more and more.

“I know that, particularly during the pandemic, many families have struggled to make sure that their children have adequate access to the tech they need to progress their learning. Many young people are having to share devices with their siblings and the wider family, which causes issues.

“As a former pupil of Newbattle High School I am so pleased that, as Midlothian’s Centre of Excellence for Digital Technology, Newbattle is leading the way on the development of digital learning and this investment helps to ensure that their experience and expertise will be share across the whole county.”