Fife Council Schools Sell Out Condemned

Glenrothes SSP Press Release 11th September 2001
Scottish Socialist Party representatives today condemned the deal struck by Fife Council with a private consortium to build three new schools under a £40 million Public Private Partnership in the region. The deal with Pinnacle Schools, will see extensive construction work taking place in Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline and Anstruther.

While we welcome any new facilities in our communities – especially where they are long overdue - the SSP have always been opposed to Private Finance Initiatives such as the Public Private Partnership. The ‘best value’ they purport to give is an illusion which ultimately is based on best returns for shareholders. It used to be that present generations worked hard to provide for future generations. Now it seems that we are providing schools for future generations by spending money that they have not even earned yet. Many of the people who will ultimately pay for this project haven’t even been born yet.

Jim Balfour said:
"The government spends billions of pounds every year on weaponry and subsidising the dictator du jour, but cannot find the money to fund modern schools. If we spent a fraction less on defence, we could spend a lot more on education. The present New Labour administration is not interested in what taxation can be raised from businesses, they are only looking for opportunities to place lucrative profit-making schemes on their desks. Meanwhile, the number of low paid families living in poverty rises steadily.

"Recently we have been campaigning on the issue of NHS facilities in Fife. The public have made it clear in those consultations that they would be against hospitals being funded using Private Finance, so why would Fife Council suppose that schools funded this way would meet with approval? Fife Council are out of step with public opinion on this issue. The lack of any consultation on this issue confirms that they know this. It is a disgraceful move with potentially dire consequences for future generations of local taxpayers."