Fife Council Opposition leader Alex Rowley is calling for the authorities Education Committee to go to St Andrews to view the proposed sites for a replacement Madras College and to meet with the school community and wider St Andrews community to discuss the options.
Mr Rowley has also described the way the authority has dealt with the issue of finding a new site as ‘disappointing’ and says there has been a ‘clear lack of political leadership’ throughout the process.
He said; “I think the people of St Andrews and the Tay Bridgehead area must be wondering what is going to happen next in this sorry saga. The complete lack of any political leadership or direction in this matter is, to be frank, staggering. It is clear that the political leadership of Fife Council seem happy to hide behind officials and it is not good enough”.
“I am now of the view that to have wasted four and a half years trying to negotiate the Langlands site is a damming indictment on the political leadership who should have stepped into those discussions and made a judgment call long ago as to whether this was going to work out. Now they seem content to hide behind officers who are constructing a scoring system that gives little time or value to the views of parents and local people”.
“I have been in touch with the Executive Director of Education and have requested that we take the Education Committee to St Andrews to view all the options and to meet with representatives of the school and wider St Andrews community.
He concluded; “As leader of the opposition on Fife Council I am calling for councillors to take responsibility, show some leadership and engage with the wider community to find a solution for a problem that has been allowed to go on for far too long”.
Given the amount of time that has been wasted trying to secure the university site, I think we can take just a little bit more time to make sure we get the best site and a new school which the pupils of the future in St Andrews and the wider area deserve.
There has been far too much discussion and not enough, or any, decision making and decisive action. Station Park and Pipeland Farm are ridiculous suggestions. Station Park with a large school on it will do nothing to enhance the entrance to St Andrews and nothing for the popularity of the Old Course Hotel so close to a big noisy school – a particularly bad idea. Leave the school on its present site and do what has to be done either to the existing building or build a new one. BUT ask the people who will be working in it before people who know nothing about the requirements of teachers and pupils get their hands on it.