Government Announce Funding for a New Mearns Academy- McInnes

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 30th Sep 2009

Following the announcement on Monday that Mearns Academy is to be rebuilt as part of the first phase of the Scottish Government's building programme, North East MSP Alison McInnes said:

"I am very pleased with the announcement that Laurencekirk is to finally have a new academy and the Government has acknowledged that a replacement is necessary. However, I am very disappointed that over two years have been wasted since the SNP were elected in 2007, a period when the school programme should have been rolled out.

"Some of the schools in Aberdeenshire are in a deplorable state, yet were put on the back burner to decay further while the SNP Government attempted to set up the Scottish Futures Trust.

"The Government have said that there will be no new schools on the ground until 2013. Research has shown that building the fourteen new schools in the first phase of the programme in Scotland will be completed by 2018 - nine years into the future.

"I know that Aberdeenshire Council have carried out the preparatory work for a new Mearns Academy and that the council could mobilize quickly to deliver the new school.

"I will urge the Scottish Government to bring forward these plans - what are the barriers preventing the work commencing now?"